A few hours after eating leftovers brought from a restaurant, a 19-year-old American boy was admitted to hospital where he had to have several limbs amputated.
For a poorly preserved meal, a young American student came close to death. According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine and relayed by CNews, this 19-year-old ate leftovers from a dish of rice, chicken and fried noodles. Coming from a restaurant, it had not been stored properly and the young man had to be hospitalized in the hours that followed.
Certain products, such as rice or pasta, contain a bacterium called “bacillus cereus” which, when cooked and left in the open air for too long, can be very dangerous.
“Purpura fulminans”, severe form of sepsis
When he arrived at the hospital, the young man presented very worrying symptoms. Several of his organs were failing, his skin was purplish and he complained of severe abdominal pain. His breathing was abnormal and he suffered from vomiting. He was suffering from a serious form of sepsis: “purpura fulminans” according to the American study.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that “purpura fulminans” is a meningococcal infection that can “lead to death within hours.”
13 days on a cardiac simulator
The young man’s state of health was so worrying, as reported by CNews, that he had to be placed on a pacemaker for 13 days. He developed necrosis which forced doctors to amputate his legs and fingers.
The New England Journal of Medicine report explains that the young man had been vaccinated against meningococcal infections but had not received any boosters. The day he ate these leftovers, he was not alone: his roommate ate the same poorly preserved food but only suffered from vomiting.
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