Student dies after eating leftover spaghetti in rare food poisoning incident

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A heart-wrenching 2008 story involving a student who died after eating leftover spaghetti is again making headlines after a doctor posted a new YouTube video explaining how the pasta caused his liver to shut down.

The 20-year-old man, who became violently ill, died in his sleep after consuming the tomato sauce and pasta that he'd heated in a microwave in Belgium. The problem? It had been left in the kitchen at room temperature for five days before that point, according to a clinical journal.

The bacteria Bacillus cereus -- which is known to cause food-poisoning -- was found in the spaghetti meal.

Experts warn not to leave cooked food sitting in your kitchen unrefrigerated. If food is left out for a few hours or begins to smell funny, it's better to throw it away than risk eating.

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