(WSVN) - The 2008 case of a young man in Belgium who died after eating days-old pasta is regaining attention after it was recently featured on a popular medical YouTube channel. According to the initial report, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a 20-year-old man, identified as A.J., became sick after eating spaghetti and tomato sauce that had been made just five days earlier. The report’s authors said the pasta had been stored at room temperature before the the student warmed it up in the microwave. “Immediately after eating, he left home for his sports activities, but he returned 30 minutes later because of headache, abdominal pain and nausea. At his arrival, he vomited profusely for several hours and at midnight had two episodes of water diarrhea,” authors wrote. “After midnight, he fell asleep. The next morning at 11:00 AM, his parents were worried because he did not get up. When they went to his room, they found him dead.” Doctors said significant amounts of B. cereus, a known food-poisoning organism, were found in the spoiled pasta. In the YouTube clip, Dr. Bernard, a man who said he is a licensed provider trained and based in the United States, surmised the pasta shut down A.J.’s liver. “Typically, food poisoning just causes stomach inflammation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, it doesn’t typically cause acute liver failure, and even worse, we can’t find out which bacteria is causing the problem because culturing it would take days – days A.J. doesn’t have because his liver is quickly shutting down,” Bernard said. Bernard also noted that A.J.’s case is not typical. However, it serves as a reminder to be wary of food left out without being refrigerated. Doctors had a similar conclusion. “Because the emetic toxin is preformed in food and is not inactivated by heat treatment, it is important to prevent B. cereus growth and its cereulide production during storage,” they wrote.<doc-sep>Student Died After Eating Pasta That Was 5 Days Old A 20-year-old student died after he ate a bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce, which was made five days earlier. After eating the pasta, the student, only known as AJ, suffered a headache and stomach ache. About half an hour later he started violently vomiting for several hours. He drank only water then fell asleep. He was found dead the next morning by his parents, who were worried when he did not wake up for college. An autopsy revealed that AJ’s death was linked to Bacillus cereus, an organism known for food poisoning, and in his case, it’s thought the toxins from the bacteria may have caused his liver to fail. Not a Typical Case of Food Poisoning AJ, a student in Brussels, Belgium, died in 2008 and his case was analyzed by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in 2011. According to the journal, he left the pasta unrefrigerated for five days and warmed it in the microwave. The authors summarized the cause of his death as “a lethal intoxication case” following “the ingestion of pasta contaminated with Bacillus cereus.” Public Health England states that the spores of some Bacillus bacteria can survive cooking and “subsequently germinate and grow under favorable conditions, particularly in warm kitchens.” It’s a type of bacteria that produces toxins that can cause diarrhea and vomiting, typically lasting for about 24 hours. While mild food poisoning is relatively common, it is very unusual for cases to escalate to this severity. More recently, Dr. Bernard, a licensed practitioner, looked into AJ’s death on his YouTube channel. He describes AJ as “an otherwise healthy 20-year-old man.” He added that AJ’s case is uncommon, but not unheard of. “It is important to note that this is not a typical food poisoning case. Many people eat pasta, or any other form of noodles, that are leftover for a day or two and they’re fine. But tragic cases like this one have been reported in literature,” he said. “Be careful of food left out for more than a few hours. If the food smells funny, it’s always better to be safe than sorry,” he said. His video has been viewed over a million times. FoodSafety.gov said that Bacillus cereus can contaminate a wide range of foods, “particularly rice and leftovers, as well as sauces, soups, and other prepared foods that have sat out too long at room temperature.” To prevent illness, the government agency recommends that when storing food for longer than two hours, food should either be kept over 140°F or under 40°F. It advises people to store cooked food in a wide, shallow container and to refrigerate it as soon as possible.<doc-sep>The best part about preparing and cooking a big feast is having enough delicious leftovers to last you the next few nights. But there's one crucial step when it comes to eating leftovers never to skip: storing them in the fridge. One young man who dined on leftover pasta didn't do that, and it appears to have cost him his life. The case of the 20-year-old from Belgium was originally reported in 2008 in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Recently, however, a YouTuber who goes by the name Dr. Bernard posted a video on the case, putting it back in the headlines and making the story go viral. Here's the case in a nutshell: After returning home from school one day, the man (identified as AJ in the YouTube video) heated some leftover pasta left on the kitchen counter in his microwave, had it for dinner, and then headed out to play sports. Just half an hour later, he returned home complaining of headaches, abdominal pain, and nausea. He threw up a few times but assumed he had a bad case of food poisoning, so he went to bed to try to sleep it off. His parents found his lifeless body the next morning when he didn't get up for class. AJ did have food poisoning, but it was much more serious than most cases. An autopsy revealed it was caused by a spore-forming bacteria called bacillus cereus. Belgium's National Reference Laboratory for Foodborne Outbreaks examined samples of the pasta and tomato sauce that took the otherwise healthy man's life. Turns out there were enough toxins from all the bacteria in the leftovers that they likely caused his liver to fail, killing him. Don't worry, this doesn't mean you can never eat day-old pasta again. If AJ would have put his leftovers in the fridge within two hours after they were originally cooked, he might be alive today. When you do store already cooked food, put it in covered, shallow containers, and make sure the temperature in your fridge is 40°F or lower. After 3-4 days, toss out the uneaten leftovers, advises foodsafety.gov. It's always better to be safe than sorry.<doc-sep>A 20-year-old student died after eating a bowl of pasta that was left on his kitchen benchtop for five days. The incident took place in Brussels. The young man was reportedly found unresponsive hours after he had eaten the spaghetti with tomato sauce which was stored at room temperature. The student ate the bowl of pasta after microwaving it before heading out to play. According to reports, he returned home half an hour later complaining of headaches, nausea and abdominal pain. After hours of sickness, the student was treated to the symptoms as regular food poisoning, by keeping hydrated and trying to sleep it off. His parents, however, found him dead in the house 11 hours later, the Sun reported. An autopsy revealed that the young man, identified only as AJ, died suddenly from food poisoning caused by bacteria called Bacillus cereus — a spore-forming bacteria that produces vomit or diarrhea-producing toxins. "B. cereus produces two types of toxins – emetic (vomiting) and diarrhoeal – causing two types of illness. The emetic syndrome is caused by emetic toxin produced by the bacteria during the growth phase in the food. The diarrhoeal syndrome is caused by diarrhoeal toxins produced during growth of the bacteria in the small intestine," according to the Food Standards Authority. Despite being treated, the toxins from the bacteria caused liver failure, killing him in his sleep. Photo: Getty Images/William West The leftover pasta which the student ate was tested by the National Reference Laboratory for Food-borne Outbreaks and it was revealed that it had life-threatening toxins. "Many people eat pasta, or any other form of noodles, that are leftover for a day or two and they’re fine. But be careful of food left out for more than a few hours. If the food smells funny, it’s always better to be safe than sorry," Dr. Bernard, a licensed practitioner who reviewed the case, said. A video featuring the case was shared on YouTube earlier in January and has shocked several users. “That was kinda dumb but not really something you expect to kill you a day later,” one person wrote on Reddit. “I don’t know why anyone would leave perishable food in the kitchen for 5 days and think it’s okay to still eat it,” another added.<doc-sep>
A student has died after eating a bowl of pasta that he had left out on on his kitchen benchtop for five days. The 20-year-old from Brussels in Belgium fell sick after consuming spaghetti leftovers which had been made five days earlier and stored at room temperature. The man, known only as AJ, became violently ill from food poisoning and went to bed to try and sleep it off. The following morning he was found dead in his bed by his shocked parents. A student has died after eating a bowl of pasta that he had left out on on his kitchen benchtop for five days (file photo) The incident occurred in October 2008 and happened after the man came home from school one day. He warmed the spaghetti in the microwave oven before heading out to play sports. He ended up coming home half an hour later suffering from headaches, abdominal pain, and nausea. He threw up for several hours and went to the bathroom twice only to fall asleep around midnight. The man's lifeless body was discovered 11 hours later by his 'worried' parents who only became concerned when he didn't get up for college. An autopsy revealed he had died suddenly from food poisoning caused by a bacteria called bacillus cereus. Bacillus cereus is a spore forming bacteria that produces toxins, causing cause vomiting and diarrhea. Although AJ experienced such symptoms, he treated them as a regular bout of food poisoning, drinking plenty of water and didn't take any medication. Pasta and tomato sauce samples, the leftovers of the dinner, were also sent for analysis to the National Reference Laboratory for Food-borne Outbreaks It found that the toxins from the bacteria were so great, they caused his liver to fail and he ended up dead. The case, which originally featured in the US Journal of Clinical Microbiology, explained how the harmful bacteria caused AJ's liver to shut down. Dr Bernard, a licenced practitioner who studies and shares bizarre medical cases found around the world on his YouTube channel. Samples of spoiled pasta and the tomato sauce were analysed. The National Reference Laboratory for Food-borne Outbreaks confirmed the spaghetti was contaminated with 'significant amounts' of the B.cereus, although there was none in the sauce. 'Many people eat pasta, or any other form of noodles, that are leftover for a day or two and they're fine,' he said, 'but be careful of food left out for more than a few hours. If the food smells funny, it's always better to be safe than sorry.' Commentators online did not show much sympathy for the student. 'That was kinda dumb but not really something you expect to kill you a day later,' one person wrote. 'I don't know why anyone would leave perishable food in the kitchen for 5 days and think it's okay to still eat it,' said added.