Woman Tragically Dies In Louisiana From Flesh-Eating Bacteria [Video]
Texas woman Jeannette Leblanc was visiting Louisiana back in September when she contracted Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria. After three months fighting the bacteria in a Baton Rouge hospital, Leblanc passed away mid October. Doctors say there are two possibilities regarding how she contracted the bacteria.
Leblanc came in contact with the bacteria either by wading in brackish water, or from raw oysters, both of which she participated in while in Louisiana.
However, doctors stress that contracting this bacteria through oysters would be "an extremely rare occurance".
Kplctv.com reports LSU Health Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr. Fred Lopez tells them “Usually this is a food-borne or water-borne illness. You can get it from eating under-cooked shellfish. The other way people can acquire this infection is through an open wound or a wound that’s created while swimming.”