this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2024
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[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (21 children)

Microbiology can be so much fun!

Streptococcus pyogenes causes a flesh-eating disease (necrotizing fasciitis). This species of bacteria releases toxins that kill living tissue, so you better make sure that paper cut doesn’t get infected.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is famous for a bunch of different pandemics over the centuries. If you thought covid was fun, imagine coughing up blood.

Clostridium botulinum is special, because it produces a very spicy toxin, so you don’t even have to ingest any living cells or spores of C. botulinum to get killed by it. If you do, you can even have your very own toxin factory inside you.

Vibrio cholerae is another classic responsible for numerous pandemics. This one is a bit different, because it involves lethal amounts of diarrhea.

Oh, and the scary bit? There are people who don’t believe bacteria or viruses exist. They actively oppose taking measures against these things. Humans can be truly horrifying at times.

[–] latenightnoir 27 points 1 month ago (19 children)

"Lethal amounts of diarrhea" has now entered second place on my Worst Nightmares list. Thanks for that...

[–] shortypants 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can't leave us hanging, what's 1st place on your list?

[–] latenightnoir 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Reincarnation, which has now been reinforced by no. 2 (pun not intended, but welcomed).

[–] arken 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well, how about reincarnation coupled with eternal lethal diarrhea?

[–] latenightnoir 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Well... if it means I'd die of lethal diarrhea immediately after being reincarnated, I guess it could be worse! Like having to live 6-7 decades with the knowledge that I may or may not, at one point, contract lethal diarrhea, and that I'll just keep on coming back to this particular reverse-roulette wheel over and over and over again, being forced to play the odds on an infinite canvas of probabilities. You know what they say, the anxiety's always worse than the thing-in-itself!

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