Sushi Horror! 71-Year-Old Had To Amputate His Hand Due To Bacterial Infection Caused By Raw Fish

In a tragic incident, an elderly man had to lose one of his hands and forearms because of eating sushi. The man would have never seen this coming his way that eating a normal sushi would leave one of his arms amputated. Raw seafood even earlier has been criticised for its harmful effects if not consumed keeping in mind a particular set of precautions.

According to Daily Mail, the man's left hand swelled up like a golf ball twelve hours after he ate the fish. The blister was very painful and also had along with it a few blisters around. The report said that it was because of a bacterial infection due to eating raw seafood. Even after using antibiotics to drain the blister and removing the infected tissue, the infection did not stop.

To add on to the problem, the 71-year-old also had Type- 2 diabetes and high BP. He was also suffering from a kidney disease that was almost at the end stage. His case worsened so much so that flesh-rotting ulcers were formed on his hand and no amount of surgery or antibiotics were working on him. The ulcers on his hand were causing necrosis which in simpler words mean the death of living tissue. It spreads causing injuries to the living cells that cannot be repaired. The doctors finally diagnosed that he was suffering from an infection called vibriosis and it is caused by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. This infection ultimately led to the amputation of his affected hand. The reports say that he is doing fine after the amputation. Did you know about a similar case wherein a Mother and Son Eat Raw Centipedes and Develop Deadly Meningitis

What is Vibriosis?

Highly prevalent in the US (about 100 deaths and over 80 thousand illness cases every year), Vibriosis is an infection that is caused by the consumption of raw/undercooked seafood. It can also happen if an open wound is exposed to the seawater. A research paper on Vibriosis, its pathogenicity and pathology say 'Vibriosis is a term for a group of well-known fish diseases reported from a large number of marine fish species. General external disease symptoms are haemorrhages and superficial skin lesions, and in most cases, there is a general septicaemia. Even though diseases caused by Vibrio species have been known for nearly a century and have been extensively studied, their pathogenesis and pathology are not yet fully known.' Did you know about the ‘Kissing Bugs’ A Dangerous Parasitic Disease Takes Over the US

There is a host of health issues connected to eating raw/undercooked seafood. You might want to keep these safety tips in mind before eating sushi or any other food that involves raw marine animals.

1. Get yourself checked for any kind of allergies with sushi.

2. Don't shove your face with sushi at once take a bit at a time.

3. Eat only from reputed food places serving sushi.

4. Do not attempt to make sushi at home.

5. Try to avoid eating food involving raw seafood in the first place.

Other health issues such as anisakiasis that is caused by consuming fish infected with a parasitic worm or Listeria and different other allergies are also associated with eating raw seafood. While it is more common in the United States you might still want to be careful before consuming foods that have raw/undercooked seafood in it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2018 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).