Her name was Mariana Bridi, and she was from a poor family. She started modelling at age 14.
She was competing in a beauty competition in China. On Dec 30 she went to the hospital, was misdiagnosed with a kidney stone, given medicine and sent away. Two days later she was back and much sicker. They diagnosed her with a UTI, and then septicemia (bacteria in the blood). In an effort to save her life they surgically removed her kidneys, feet and hands, and part of her stomach. Her stomach was bleeding, and they didn't know why. It appears that they had trouble finding blood for her, saying that her type (O negative) was "rare". Huh?
Certainly, if she had not been misdiagnosed, and if she had better care when she first presented, she might be whole and alive today. This case, as with many, appears to be one that would have been much better treated using naturopathic principles. I suspect that her initial immune response to the infection was suppressed (I bet she took meds to keep the fever down) and refraining from suppression and supporting her vital force might have led her to victory. But it is too late now.
P. aeruginosa is a gram negative rod, strict aerobe, and can grow in distilled water with few nutrients. It's ubiquitous in soil, water, plants, food, and hospitals. It is resistant to many antibiotics. Now known as one of the most lethal nosocomial infections, it is well known to infect burn patients (remember, strict aerobe so it likes the surface). It produces two pigments, pyocyanin (blue pus) and pyoverdine (flourescent under UV light and used to monitor burn pts for infx). It also causes recurring pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients.
Virulence factos include indotoxin, exotoxin A, exoenzyme S, adhesions, and an antiphagocytic capsule. Exotoxin A is an A-B toxin with the same mechanism of protein synthesis inhibition and cell death as diptheria toxin. Exoenzyme S is an ADP-ribosylating toxin that targets several ceullular proteins.
It is rare for P. aeruginosa to infect urinary bladders--usually only when there is an indwelling catheter...but the bug is an opportunist, and will infect anywhere that is weakened. I have my suspicions about ways in which this young woman's system may have been challenged...but they are only that, suspicions.
SOURCES:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24951977-5012753,00.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/24/brazil.amputee.model/index.html?eref=rss_world
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,482548,00.html
--my flash card set