If meat is left out on the counter for too long, we all know we need to throw it out. But what about rice or pasta?

　　如果肉在柜台上放太久，我们都知道我们要扔掉它。但是米饭和意大利面呢?

　　Although that carby goodness might seem harmless after sitting on the bench for a bit, you'll probably think twice about it once you hear about the bacterium Bacillus cereus.

　　如果这两种碳水化合物的食物只在柜子里摆了一会儿，似乎是无害的，但一旦你听说过蜡样芽孢杆菌，你可能会三思而后行。

　　It's not a particularly rare germ. B. cereus will happily live wherever it can – soil, food, or in the gut.

　　它并不是什么罕见的微生物。蜡样芽孢杆菌会开心地出现在任何它能存活的地方——土壤、食物、或者在肠道里。

　　"The known natural habitats of B. cereus are wide-ranging, including soil, animals, insects, dust and plants," Anukriti Mathur, a biotechnology researcher at the Australian National University, explained to Science Alert.

　　澳大利亚国立大学的生物技术研究员Anukriti Mathur向《科学警报》杂志解释说:“已知的蜡状芽孢杆菌的分布区域范围很广，包括土壤、动物、昆虫、灰尘和植物。”

　　"The bacteria will reproduce by utilising the nutrients from the food products [..] including rice, dairy products, spices, dried foods and vegetables."

　　他说:“这些细菌会利用食物中的营养物质繁殖。包括大米、奶制品、香料、干粮和蔬菜。”

　　Some strains of this bacterium are helpful for probiotics, but others can give you a nasty bout of food poisoning if given the ability to grow and proliferate - such as when you store food in the wrong conditions.

　　这种细菌的一些菌株对益生菌有帮助，但如果赋予它们生长和增殖的能力，比如当你储存食物条件不当时，其他菌株会给你带来严重的食物中毒。

　　In 2005, one such case was recorded in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology - five children in one family got sick from eating four-day-old pasta salad.

　　2005年，《临床微生物学杂志》记录了一例这样的病例——一家的5个孩子因为吃了放了4天的意大利面沙拉而患病。

　　According to the case study, pasta salad was prepared on a Friday, 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.

　　根据对案例的研究，意大利面沙拉是在周五做的，周六带去野餐。野餐回来后，它被贮藏在冰箱里，直到周一晚上，才把它拿出来给孩子们当晚饭。

　　That night the children began vomiting, and were taken to hospital. Tragically, the youngest child died; another suffered from liver failure but survived, and the others had less severe food poisoning and could be treated with fluids.

　　当晚孩子们开始呕吐，被送往医院。不幸的是，最小的孩子死了;另一个小孩肝功能衰竭，但活了下来，剩下几个孩子的食物中毒程度较轻，可以补液治疗。