Could eating Chipotle chicken lead to paralysis? One woman on TikTok says it’s possible, and it almost happened to her brother, leaving viewers horrified.
The TikToker, creator @brednbutta, explains that her brother had a Chipotle Mexican Grill chicken bowl earlier in the day. Her video got over 65,600 views.
“10 hours later, right on cue, we have throwing up and yitting his pants,” she says.
At first, they thought it was regular food poisoning that would go away on its own. However, five days went by without any improvement.
“He can’t eat,” she says. “He’s still yitting and throwing up.”
They eventually called the hospital, which reportedly urged them to bring her brother in urgently. “This could be bad,” she recalls them implying.
According to the TikToker, hospital staff immediately started treating him with antibiotics and fluids before testing his stool. It turned out to be an advanced case of a Campylobacter infection.
“That bacteria usually figures itself out,” hospital staff allegedly told her brother. “But your body isn’t doing that… you’re getting sicker.”
Then, she says, doctors asked him something alarming: “Do you have feeling in your feet?” Concerned, her brother responded that he did.
“Then they’re like, ‘Well, a complication of this bacteria is this Guillain-Barré Syndrome,’” she recounts, attaching a screenshot of an explanation of the complication.
“A severe, sometimes fatal, autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks nerves, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis,” the screenshot reads.
“You could get a slow tingling in your feet, then numbness from the knees down,” she explains. “‘Cause it attacks your peripheral nervous system or something insane.”
The medical staff reportedly told her brother that he was lucky. “They were like, ‘You were about a day out. I’m not gonna lie,” she recalls them saying.
@brednbutta closes with a warning. “Eat at your own risk,” she says. “It’s not a dig at Chipotle. I hope everyone’s okay out there.”
How Dangerous Could The Infection Get?
While a Campylobacter infection can result from contaminated water or other foods, it’s most commonly caused by eating undercooked poultry, according to WebMD.
The publication states that bacteria can be found in the digestive systems of animals, such as poultry and cattle. It can also appear in unpasteurized milk.
The infection usually clears up within two to 10 days, WebMD notes. However, in rare cases, it can cause serious complications, such as a gallbladder infection and, as the TikToker mentioned, Guillain-Barré syndrome.
This condition is serious because it causes the immune system to attack the nerves in the body, and may lead to partial paralysis in some severe cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a Campylobacter infection is the most common cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the U.S.
To avoid a foodborne illness, such as a Campylobacter infection, the agency recommends washing your hands often, keeping raw meats and other foods separate, and being extra thorough when cooking poultry.
What Did Viewers Think?
In the comments section, viewers were distressed.
“But did he get a refund?” asked one viewer.
The TikToker replied with Chipotle’s alleged reaction, writing, “‘Couldn’t prove it was from us.’”
“Oh wow I’ve never heard someone talk about GBS,” another user shared. “My mom had it and passed almost 3 years ago.”
“This is why I get a veggie bowl at chipotle,” a third wrote.
@breadnbuttter Replying to @Natela
BroBible has reached out to Chipotle via email and @brednbutta via TikTok message for comment.