Botulism Food Poisoning

Botulism food poisoning causes a number of symptoms related to the effects of the botulinum toxin. The symptoms differ in adults and infants.

Symptoms of botulism food poisoning in adults include:

• Abnormal pupil size or reactivity to light
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing and speaking
• Dry mouth
• Nausea with or without vomiting
• Paralysis (on both sides of the body)
• Weakness (on both sides of the body)

The most common symptoms of botulism food poisoning in infants include:

• Difficulty controlling head movement
  
• Difficulty sucking or feeding
• Drooping eyelids
• Fatigue
• Hypotonicity (flaccid limbs)
• Irritability
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Weak cry

Symptoms from botulism food poisoning may be so severe that a life-threatening situation can develop. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of the following symptoms:

• Abnormal pupil size or reactivity to light
  
• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Drooping eyelids
• Facial weakness (both sides of the face)
• Garbled or slurred speech or inability to speak
• Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain or cramping
• Paralysis or inability to move a body part

Clostridium botulinum is found in soil and untreated water. The bacteria create spores that subsist in incorrectly preserved or canned food, where they lead to the presence of bacteria that produce the botulinum toxin. Botulism food poisoning commonly occurs when the toxin is ingested. Ingesting even minute quantities can cause severe poisoning. The foods most commonly known to cause botulism food poisoning are smoked or raw fish, cured pork and ham, honey or corn syrup, and home-canned vegetables. The disease has also occurred from oil infused with garlic and baked potatoes. In infants, the most common causes are exposure to contaminated soil and eating contaminated honey.

Risk factors for botulism food poisoning include the consumption of home-canned foods and foods that have been improperly preserved. Not all people with risk factors will get botulism food poisoning.

You can lower your risk of botulism food poisoning by:

• Discarding bulging cans of food, any bad-smelling food, and expired preserved foods

• Refraining from giving honey to infants

• Refrigerating foil-wrapped baked potatoes instead of leaving them out at room temperature

• Sterilizing home-canned foods by pressure cooking them for 30 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit

Botulinum antitoxin in injected form is the mainstay of treatment for botulism food poisoning in adults. Infants are usually treated intravenously with immune globulin.

If the patient experiences breathing difficulty, hospitalization is required to establish a clear airway and provide ventilator support. A tube may be inserted through the patient’s mouth or nose or into the windpipe to provide an airway for oxygen. A breathing machine may be needed. Intravenous fluids are commonly prescribed if swallowing difficulty prevents adequate fluid intake. If the patient is unable to eat, a feeding tube may be inserted in the nose to provide nutrients.

Complications of botulism food poisoning include:

• Aspiration pneumonia and infection
• Long-lasting weakness
• Permanent disability
  
• Prolonged nervous system problems
• Respiratory distress