Roman
Phoenix
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Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 2301
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 Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:14 pm Post subject: Can one get rabies from eating bitten tomatoes? |
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| I was eating a tomatoe and I discovered on it something of a form of a bite. Now I am not entirely sure whether it is from a dog; it could have been insects. But I guess it is weird that the line goes inside of the domatoe deeper than it usually does (it is 3 sentimeters length, 3 millimeters wide and 3 millimeters deep). Is it possible it that rabid dog bit that tomatoe? If so, would I get rabies by eating it? In other words, should i go to the doctor to check myself out and/or bring the half eaten tomatoe, or should I just assume I will be okay? |
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Fnord
Enigmatic Threadkilling Metasyntactic Variable
Joined: May 07, 2008
Posts: 17886
Location: Stendec
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| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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From the Centers for Disease Control:
| CDC wrote: | | The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva or brain/nervous system tissue. You can only get rabies by coming in contact with these specific bodily excretions and tissues. It’s important to remember that rabies is a medical urgency but not an emergency. Decisions should not be delayed. |
Here is a link to a reputable webpage on Rabies: "Rabies".
You should always inspect your food before eating it, especially if you just picked it. Rinse off all freshly-picked fruits and vegetables to remove dirt and debris. Cooked food is healthier - you may lose some nutrients, but cooking will kill off most pathogens. |
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emtyeye
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 522
Location: boondocks
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| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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The rabies virus does not survive long outside the body of a host animal. A dog or cat or other animal that is a common host for rabies would be very unlikely to be biting a tomato, rabid or not. So I'd rank this as very, very low probability to zero probability.
But like Fnord says, wash your food before eating / preparing anyway, for other reasons. And your hands. Love, Mom. ' ' |
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Stargazer43
Scruffy-looking Nerf Herder
Joined: Nov 07, 2011
Posts: 1328
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:22 am Post subject: |
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I would say the likelihood of getting rabies from a tomato is about the same as being struck by lightning on a sunny day. That said, I wouldn't make a habit of eating pre-bitten tomatoes  |
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jojobean
sacred clown
Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 3341
Location: In Georgia sipping a virgin pina' colada while the rest of the world is drunk
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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I would have never connected bitten tomato=possibilities of rabies.
But I would say that Emtyeye is correct.
But there are a number of bacteria that can be transmitted through eating pre-bitten food. Dog mouth's in particular are full of bacteria.
As long as you have a healthy immune system...the amount of bacteria from one tooth mark should not make you ill, but l will repeat what others had said here, wash and inspect fresh food before eating.
However sometimes tomatoes get cracks and holes near the stem that run towards the middle on the skin of the tomato sometimes even causing deep cracks. This is not a bite, but caused by uneven watering.
Jojo
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