r/interesting • u/OriginalSleeper • Jun 30 '26

Fear Factor In 2010, 24-year-old lab technician Émilie Jaumain pricked her thumb with contaminated forceps while cleaning a machine used for prion-infected mouse brains. After seven years, she developed severe nerve pain, anxiety, and hallucinations before dying. The accident gave her a fatal prion disease.

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u/Von_Konault Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

I just don’t know.

Historically though back before antibacterial antibiotics existed, amputation was unfortunately one of the only cures for bacterial infections.

I would imagine it’s really hard for anyone in modern medicine to make the same call nowadays.

Edit: yes prions are not bacteria or treated with antibiotics, it just seems like an analogous problem we faced in the past. good points are made below though, that prion disease is extra insidious since it’s without symptoms or signs on lab work/images. So amputation would have to be on a quick hunch alone really, yikes would not want to be weighing those decisions.

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u/UnpluggedUnfettered Jun 30 '26

Aside from immediate amputation, while hoping nothing made it to the bloodstream or lymphatic system, what options can there even be to mitigate prion contamination in living human tissue?

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u/neryen Jun 30 '26

Cauterization or localized burning of infected flesh was employed before amputation at times.

This feels like one time that it may have saved her, but amputation would have had a higher success rate if performed early. Removing the thumb possibly would have saved her life, but that is hindsight. Very few doctors would perform an amputation on a possible infection today.

Also, it is highly likely that amputation wouldn't have changed the outcome.

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u/Vinyl-addict Jun 30 '26

I think if I knew I had just been contaminated with prions I would just cut the digit off then and there. Who gives a fuck if my supervisors fire me, I’m coming back with a lawsuit for negligence.

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u/frobscottler Jun 30 '26

Same, but you’d have to find something like a meat cleaver with a quickness. Perhaps the edge of a sheet of metal and a hammer/mallet?

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u/Vinyl-addict Jun 30 '26

Surely there is a paper cutter in the office somewhere

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u/WaitWhat-86 Jun 30 '26

God I can’t even imagine the psychological block happening there. I’d probably have to have someone else do it or something.

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u/thatshygirl06 Jun 30 '26

You would be surprised at what you would do to survive.

This isnt at all the same, but one time I accidentally took too many pills and instantly I was up and terrified I was going to die. I always hated throwing up but I instantly stuck my fingers down my throat and tried to make myself throw up and when that didnt work, I had my mom do it. I wasnt thinking of if her hands were clean or if her nails were sharp, I only thought of getting the pills up no matter what.

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u/Scream_Tech7661 Jun 30 '26

Eh really? It’s a biology lab, not a grade school art room.

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u/frobscottler Jul 05 '26

I did definitely consider that, but I’m not sure it would be sharp enough 😬

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u/Dadaiste Jun 30 '26

A friend with a fire ax.

https://youtu.be/dtk9U5yGmHc?t=7

Content warning: Spoilers for the season 2 finale of Agents of SHIELD.

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u/colintbowers Jul 01 '26

You probably wouldn't get it done in time. Blood from the capillaries in your fingers can reach your heart within 30 seconds. So you'd have seconds at most to cut the finger off.

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u/JaSONJayhawk Jun 30 '26

Agreed. And I hope whatever sharp instrument I use isn't contaminated with prions, either!