A women who reportedly contracted a potentially fatal bacterial infection from an Asian grocery store in Bellevue is recovering well and no further cases have been identified, according to public health officials.
Public Health of Seattle and King County announced earlier this month that they are investigating a case of the rare bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. The bacteria can sometimes cause necrotizing faciitis — leading it to be popularly known as a “flesh-eating” infection — though that is rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The department is investigating the possibility that the bacteria may have originated at the Asian Food Center on Northeast 20th Street. The victim had reportedly purchased tilapia there and cut her finger while preparing it, allowing the bacteria to enter and infect the wound.
The woman in her fifties who developed the infection was hospitalized and continues to recover at home. The investigation into the source of the bacteria is ongoing.