US woman 'eaten from the inside out' by flesh-eating bug in oysters

WARNING: Graphic images

A woman has died after consuming 24 raw oysters from a market in Texas. The shellfish were later found to be harbouring a flesh-eating bacteria.

Jeanette LeBlanc's legs were ravaged by the deadly bacteria within 48 hours of eating the oysters and then going crabbing with family.

According to The Sun the 55-year-old spent 21-days fighting the bacteria known as vibriosis and died on October 15.

Family and friends of LeBlanc are now working together to raise awareness of vibriosis which causes around 100 deaths a year in the US. In warmer months the disease is more rampant and symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, fever and chills.

People are most likely to contact the bacteria if they eat raw or undercooked seafood or have a wound exposed to sea water.

LeBlanc's partner Vicki Bergquist said: "If they really knew what could happen to them and they could literally die within 48, 36 hours of eating raw oysters, is it really worth it?"

The bacteria called vibriosis is found in oysters and other types of seafood and can be fatal in people with a weakened immune system.