Pasta is the greatest food on earth. Whether eaten fresh or the next day, it goes well with just about everything: meat, mushrooms, and even mint.
But it turns out that tucking into a plate of pasta can be fatal. Anukriti Mathur, a biotechnology researcher at the Australian National University, claims leftover pasta can harbor the bacteria Bacillus cereus.
The germ isn’t that rare either, and will live wherever it can – soil, food, or in the gut. Some of the bacteria can actually have positive health benefits. However, others can give you nasty food poisoning if stored in the wrong conditions. And the worst-case scenario is death.
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Chances are you’re more likely to feel like this if you eat old food
There was a case in 2005 where five kids from one family got sick from eating four-day-old pasta salad. Apparently, the pasta salad was prepared on a Friday and taken to a picnic on Saturday. After coming back from the picnic it was stored in the fridge until Monday evening, when the kids were fed it for dinner.
The kids began vomiting ferociously that night and were taken to hospital. The youngest child sadly died while another suffered from liver failure but survived.
The others’ cases were far less severe and were treated with fluids. The researcher said: “It is important to note that ‘B. cereus’ can cause severe and deadly conditions, such as sepsis, in immunocompromised people, infants, the elderly, and pregnant women.”
They continued: “[Most] Affected individuals get better over time without any treatment. These individuals do not go see a doctor to receive a diagnosis.”
Have you ever gotten sick from eating old pasta? Let us know in the comments section below!
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