Final answer:
Bacillus cereus is the bacterium commonly linked with cooked rice, which can survive cooking and produce toxins leading to foodborne illness with symptoms like nausea and cramps.
Step-by-step explanation:
The bacterium commonly linked with cooked rice is Bacillus cereus. This gram-positive, endospore-forming bacterium can survive cooking and produce enterotoxins in reheated or room-temperature rice, resulting in foodborne illness. Symptoms can include nausea, abdominal pain, and cramps, typically appearing within hours of consumption. While B. cereus typically causes mild symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, it is crucial to handle and store rice correctly to prevent growth of this bacterium. Eating contaminated rice can lead to ingestion of toxins produced by B. cereus, causing the associated foodborne illness.