A woman in Colorado was left paralyzed and fighting for her life after battling a deadly bacterial infection, which her friends believe she contracted through canned soup.
Snowboarder Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, 23, originally from Brazil, was on a work exchange program in Aspen when she began experiencing dizziness, double vision and difficulty breathing.
Within 24 hours, every muscle in her body was paralyzed, leaving her on a ventilator.
It would take doctors two weeks to find the cause: botulism, an infection that attacks the body’s nervous tissue and affects only 100 Americans a year.
People familiar with Albuquerque Celada’s case believe he contracted the disease after consuming contaminated soup.
Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, 23, originally from Brazil, was on a job exchange program in Colorado when she contracted botulism. The disease, which affects about 100 Americans each year, left her paralyzed.
Sources familiar with Ms. Albuquerque Celada’s case said she became infected with botulism from canned soup she obtained while bartering in the ski town of Aspen.
Botulism is caused by eating foods that have been contaminated with the bacteria C botulinum. These toxins attack the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
It occurs most frequently in home canning, when food is not preserved properly. In the past, botulism has been linked to foods such as sardines, pesto, tomatoes, and pickles.
The disease is not transmitted from person to person and there is no risk to the general population.
Albuquerque Celada’s sister, Luisa Albuquerque, wrote on Instagram that her sister moved to Colorado in November to pursue her “dream job,” although it is unclear what industry she worked in.
About 15 days after buying the soup, Luisa said her sister left work early because she started to feel sick. “She showered, had dinner and went to bed, but she had difficulty breathing, blurred vision and dizziness,” Luisa told the Portuguese media. UOL.
“He texted his friends to come to his apartment, but they only said it in the morning.”
‘When they arrived, my sister was already much worse, she could barely breathe on her own and had facial paralysis.’
He also suffered weakness in muscles, arms and legs. Some other very weak muscles, weak arms, weak legs.
“She went to the hospital and, shortly after, she was 100 percent paralyzed,” Luisa said.
Albuquerque Celada’s family was able to fly to Colorado in a week. She was diagnosed on March 1.
The family suspects that Albuquerque Celada will need between six months and a year to recover from his illness. For now, she is on a ventilator and will be flown back to Brazil.
The Swedish Medical Center in Denver, where Mrs. Albuquerque Celada is hospitalized, has announced that it will cover the expenses of her return to Brazil.
Doralice Goes, another botulism survivor from Brazil who says she is familiar with the case, said Albuquerque Celada contracted botulism from canned soup she bought at a market stall.
“We know it was an industrialized soup,” he wrote on Instagram.
Albuquerque Celada’s family has not confirmed what food it was, although they have stated that it was a foodborne infection.
It is unclear whether Mrs Goes personally knows the family and has spoken to them, although she has provided updates on the case and information about botulism, having survived the disease herself last year. DailyMail.com has contacted Ms Goes for further details.
The Pitkin County Health Department, where Aspen is located, said last week that it believes the Albuquerque Celada case is an “isolated incident.”
Officials added that they “believe we have identified the source of exposure and have determined that there is no risk to the public at this time.”
The agency also said specific details cannot be shared “to protect the privacy of the case.”
Colorado reported four cases of foodborne botulism in 2019, the latest data available.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Pitkin County Health Department for comment.
This wouldn’t be the first time canned soup has been infected with botulism.
In 2021, the CDC reported a suspected case of botulism in Arizona. The Arizona Department of Health collected samples from the patient’s home, including an empty can of chicken rice with vegetable soup, according to a USDA case report.
Tests found botulinum toxin type A in both the patient’s blood and the can. The soup reportedly had an unpleasant odor when opened, but the can was not leaking or bulging.
Albuquerque Celada’s family said she has been hospitalized for about 50 days and recovery is expected to last six months to a year. Have also been working to raise $200,000 to transport it back to Sao Paulo, where it is originally from. The family has exhausted their travel insurance.
‘We are in a country that is not ours, speaking another language, with people who are not part of our family,’ Luisa wrote on social networks.
‘We believe that recovery near family and friends is much faster. Comparing the costs between staying here and returning to Brazil, the return is still cheaper.”
The Swedish Medical Center in Denver, where Mrs. Albuquerque Celada is hospitalized, has announced that it will cover the expenses of her return to Brazil.
Although fewer than five in 100 people with botulism die, according to the CDC, it can cause lifelong disability and extreme physical therapy. Paralyzed patients need to relearn how to walk, talk, and perform everyday tasks.
The CDC says that even after recovery, survivors may suffer from fatigue and shortness of breath for years.
Ms. Goes, who said the Albuquerque Celada case was linked to canned soup, was diagnosed with botulism last year and became paralyzed after eating pesto from a farmers market, which she believes was contaminated.
Mrs. Goes remained in the hospital for about a year to recover from the paralysis.
“I got treatments every day of the week,” he said last year, “from myofascial release to analgesia, laser, cupping[s]Pilates to recover muscle tone, strengthening and pulmonary physiotherapy.’
“It is now part of my story and I must overcome the difficulties I now face.”
She now advocates for botulism awareness and better food safety standards. ‘We need to talk about it and make consumers, industry and hospitals aware that this disease exists today. More food safety rules need to be implemented,” she wrote on Instagram.