Texas woman dies after eating contaminated oysters
JASPER COUTNY, Texas -- A woman from southeast Texas died after eating contaminated oysters.
According to health officials, 56-year-old Jane White Cunningham, of Jasper County, Texas, experienced a severe infection after consuming the oysters, which were contaminated with a bacteria called vibrio, CBS Dallas-Fort Worth reports.
Vibrio is found in coastal waters, especially warmer areas where oysters live.
Authorities say Cunningham's legs and an arm were subsequently amputated in an effort to cure the infection, but it wasn't enough.
"If you get typical food poisoning with vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and you've had raw oysters, you ought to consider this infection," said Dr. David Winter. "If you've got those symptoms, you need to get to the emergency room right away and get treated."
Some people only get the food poisoning symptoms with some forms of vibrio gastroenteritis.
According to Winter, it's best to eat oysters fried, not raw.
