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?

　　我们都知道，如果把肉放在柜台上太久，就得扔掉它。那米饭和意大利面呢?

　　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.

　　虽然在凳子上坐了一会儿之后， carby goodness(我不知道该怎么翻译这两个词) 似乎是无害的，但如果你听说过蜡样芽孢杆菌，你可能就会重新考虑一下。

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

　　这不是一种特别罕见的细菌。蜡样芽孢杆菌能快乐地生活在它所能生活的任何地方——土壤、食物或内脏中。

　　"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.

　　“已知的蜡样芽孢杆菌的自然栖息地的范围很广，其中包括土壤、动物、昆虫、灰尘和植物，”澳大利亚国立大学生物技术研究员安努克里提·马瑟向《科学警告》解释道。

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

　　“细菌会利用食物中的营养物质来繁殖，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是有帮助的，但在错误的储存条件下储存食物可能会使其他菌株生长增殖，而使你遭受严重的食物中毒。

　　The worst scenarios can even bring death.

　　最糟糕的是它甚至会致死。

　　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》杂志记录了这样一个案例——一个家庭的5个孩子因为吃了4天的意面沙拉而生病。

　　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.

　　该案例分析表明，意面沙拉是在周五准备的，周六被带去野餐。野餐回来后，它被储存在冰箱里，直到周一晚上，孩子们把它当作了晚饭。

　　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.

　　那天晚上孩子们开始呕吐，然后被送往医院。不幸的是，最小的孩子死了;另外一个孩子肝功能衰竭但他活了下来，其他孩子食物中毒没有那么严重，可以输液治疗。

　　"B. cereus is a well-known cause of food-borne illness, but infection with this organism is not commonly reported because of its usually mild symptoms," the researchers explain.

　　研究人员解释道：“众所周知，蜡样芽孢杆菌是引起食源性疾病的原因之一，但由于其症状通常比较轻微，所以感染这种病菌并不常被报道。”

　　"A fatal case due to liver failure after the consumption of pasta salad is described and demonstrates the possible severity."

　　“食用意面沙拉导致肝功能衰竭而致死的案例说明了这种细菌潜在的危险性。”

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