According to the details reported by the British newspaper "Mirror", Laura Barajas from California contracted a bacterial infection, due to the lack of cooking of the type "Tilapia" (tilapia) fish after buying it from a local market, in late July.

On Thursday, the 40-year-old woman was forced to undergo limb amputation in order to save her life, after spending nearly a month and a half in hospital battling the deadly infection.

Laura, a mother of a 6-year-old boy, cooked the fish herself and ate it, according to a friend who said she "almost lost her life" because of the accident.

Her friend Ana Messina told local media: "It was heavy on all of us. It's terrible. This could have happened to any of us. She almost lost her life."

Anna explained that her friend was put in a medically induced coma, adding: "Her fingers, toes and lower lips were black. She suffered from complete sepsis and kidney failure."

Doctors say Laura's infection was most likely caused by the bacterium Fibrio folnivicus, which lives in aquatic environments and was recently warned about by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says between 150 and 200 infections are reported each year, and one in 5 people with the infection dies, which most seriously affects those with weakened immunity.

Infectious disease expert Natasha Spotswood said: "You can get infected with these bacteria by eating something contaminated with them, or by exposing a wound or tattoo to the water in which they spread."

"Everyone should take reasonable precautions. If you have a wound, avoid diving in water until it heals well. If you have weakened immunity, be sure to monitor these things, and avoid activities and undercooked foods."