A Chinese chef had his left arm amputated after their finger was pricked while they were handling a fish.
The arm was removed in order to save their life.
The prick left them with a severe bacterial infection, said a report by Daily Star UK.
Li, the chef, was handling a fish at work when he suffered a 2-millimetre puncture on the little finger of their left hand.
20-year-old Li tried to cleanse the minor wound with water, however, it eventually turned purple then black.
On May 18, 2021, the chef, who is from Lingui, Southeastern China, went to seek medical help after the palm of his hand became swollen and the pain became unbearable.
Li was rushed to the hospital, where he was informed that he was suffering from septic shock and extensive soft tissue necrosis in the middle and distal part of their left forearm.
The doctors were left with only one option, amputation.
In order to save their life, doctors had to carry out an amputation, where two-thirds of their left arm was removed.
Baidu, a news website, said that the chef was infected with Vibrio Vulnificus, a rod-shaped pathogenic bacteria that is present in marine environments.
Vibrio Vulnificus is related to Vibrio Cholerea, the causative agent of cholera.
If a wound belonging to a human comes in contact with this type of bacteria, the tissue of the wounded part can ulcerate and even die, but that’s only in mild cases.
In severe cases, multiple organ failure and death can happen.
Xiang Shulin, the spokesperson of the hospital, said that Vibrio Vulnificus is found in many types of seafood.
Oysters, crabs, and shellfish are just some that carry such bacteria.
The type of fish that caused this has not been identified.