European_Flat_Oyster
Oysters Wikimedia Commons

A woman from Texas died after eating raw oysters from a market in Louisiana. In September, Jeannette LeBlanc went crabbing with her family members and friends. One of their friends, Karen Bowers, said both she and LeBlanc ate about two dozens of raw oysters.

Texas residents Vicki Bergquist and wife LeBlanc were in Louisiana for a visit, KLFY reports. The latter looked okay the whole day until about 36 hours later when she began having extreme respiratory distress. Bergquist said she “had a rash on her legs and everything.”

LeBlanc’s condition went from bad to worse in 48 hours. She was told by a doctor that she had vibrio. She fought for her life for the next 21 days.

Bowers said they thought it was an allergic reaction of sorts. “It’s a flesh-eating bacteria - she had severe wounds on her legs from that bacteria,” her partner added.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people become infected with vibrio after eating raw or undercooked shellfish. Exposing open wounds to brackish water may also cause infection.

Bergquist now plans to raise awareness about vibrio. “If we had known that the risk was so high, I think she would’ve stopped eating oysters,” LeBlanc’s partner, who called her wife "bigger than life," said.

How to prevent vibrio

Vibrio researcher Gabrielle Barbarite told Health that vibrio is not precisely a flesh-eating bacteria as it does not degrade skin on contact. Barbarite explained that it gets into the bloodstream if a person has a pre-existing cut, eats raw, contaminated seafood or chug a whole lot of infected water.

CDC has provided some tips to reduce the risk of vibriosis. These include avoiding raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. It is best to cook them before eating.

Another recommendation is to always wash hands with soap and water after handling raw shellfish and avoid contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish and its juices. For those who have wounds or cuts, washing thoroughly with soap and water if exposed to seawater or raw seafood or its juices is a must.

Vibriosis causes about 100 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also causes about 80,000 illnesses, 52,000 of which are from eating contaminated seafood such as raw oysters.