A teenager from New England was left requiring multiple amputations after eating a leftover Chinese dish.
As reported by USA Today, the unnamed 19-year-old college student was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering from "shock, multiple organ failure, skin mottling, and a rapidly progressive reticular rash."
The peculiar case was reported in March 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine, in which it was detailed that "the patient had been well until 20 hours before this admission, when diffuse abdominal pain and nausea developed after he ate rice, chicken, and lo mein leftovers from a restaurant meal."
Licensed toxicologist Dr. Bernard Hsu stated in a YouTube video last week that the "freak accident" occurred following "a perfect storm" of events.
Check out Dr. Hsu's video below:Just hours prior to his admission, the student - known only as "JC" - had developed a series of concerning symptoms, including "chills, generalized weakness, progressively worsening diffuse myalgias, chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, neck stiffness, and blurry vision."
He had also developed a "purplish discoloration" of the skin, which led to his friend rushing him to the hospital's emergency department.
In less than 24 hours after he ate the meal, his kidneys had failed and his blood started to clot. Doctors diagnosed him with a bacterial infection called Neisseria meningitidis.
The teen's condition worsened to the point that he was transported to the intensive care unit of another hospital by helicopter.
During his hospital stay, he also developed necrosis - which is the death of body tissue and cells. The necrosis is believed to have been caused by a condition called purpura fulminans, a severe complication of meningococcal septicemia.
According to the report, doctors were forced to amputate his legs below his knees and parts of all 10 of his fingers.
The case adds that the North England teen - who worked part-time in a restaurant - had been staying with a friend for five days before falling ill. He also had normal smoking and drinking habits.
Doctors also learned that although he had received his first meningococcal vaccine, he had never had the recommended booster shot as a teenager.
The report also adds how "a friend who had eaten the same meal as the patient the evening before admission had vomited once shortly thereafter but had not become progressively ill."
WebMD details the risks that can come with leaving leftover food at room temperature, and recommends that food should be placed "in the fridge or freezer in the two hours after it’s cooked or taken off a heat source, such as a warming tray."
It adds: "To kill dangerous bacteria, you need to heat food to 165 F. The best way to tell if it has reached that temperature is with a food thermometer."
You can find more information on this bizarre but horrifying story here.
