Fried rice syndrome trending online sparks concern years after it allegedly led to student's death

If there's leftover food out in your kitchen or elsewhere, leave it! Unrefrigerated food left out in the open could poison and even kill you! So stay away from that pasta or rice that you could certainly make use of but forgot to put in the fridge a few hours ago. It is likely that a bacteria called Bacillus cereus has contaminated it and could infect you with fried rice syndrome.

Its a concept that has the internet by storm after a TikTok user republished an old 2008 story of a Belgian 20-year-old who allegedly died of food poisoning after eating spaghetti left on the counter for around five days. Doctors could not exactly specify what caused his death as the autopsy was late but there were clear indications it was fried rice syndrome. 

What is fried rice syndrome 

It is a condition caused when you eat unrefrigerated cooked food. It is caused by the bacteria Bacillus cereus that infects mostly starchy carbohydrate-rich food like pasta, rice and bread. But thats not to say that vegetables or meat are safe. In fact, being one of the most common bacteria in the environment, no cooked food left at room temperature is safe. So, beware! 

Symptoms of the syndrome are very similar to any gastrointestinal infection, but could easily deteriorate as they did in the case of the Belgian college student who was just 20 and absolutely healthy. 

Why is Bacillus cereus bacteria unique 

That's because other bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter may be more common, along with viral causes of gastro-related diseases, Bacillus cereus produces spores that make it resistant to heating. So while other bacteria can be destroyed by heating, Bacillus Cereus cannot and it's spores produce toxins under the right conditions to make us unwell. In fact, in the 2008 case that has now gone viral leading to a new focus on fried rice syndrome, the patient suffered from acute liver failure. 

Protection from fried rice syndrome:

• Promptly refrigerate leftovers 
• Minimise time spent by leftovers in the danger zone
• Refrigerate after breaking leftovers in small batches
• Food left at room temperature for over 4 hours starts to become a risk
• Never hurts to follow basic hygiene when cooking
• Washing hands, utensils to avoid cross-contamination