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About Botulism

Botulism is an illness that requires prompt medical treatment. A person can come down with botulism by eating contaminated food (food borne botulism), through an infected wound (would botulism) or by eating the spores of the bacteria that cause botulism (infant botulism). Knowing more about this paralyzing illness may save your life. Some of the information in this article is courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

  1. Clostridium Botulinum

    • Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that creates a toxin that attacks the nerves, and it has the ability to cause paralysis and breathing problems as it affects the respiratory muscles.

    Food Borne Botulism

    • Food borne botulism is usually caused when canned foods that are low in acid are consumed. These foods include asparagus, green beans, beets and corn, but other foods can cause botulism.

    Symptoms of Botulism in Adults

    • Botulism can cause vision problems and mouth dryness. Botulism can also cause muscles to weaken, resulting in drooping eyelids, slurring of speech and problems with swallowing.

    Symptoms of Botulism in Infants

    • Symptoms of botulism in infants include tiredness, poor eating, constipation, a loss of muscle tone and feeble crying.

    Treatment for Botulism

    • Early treatment of food borne and wound botulism involves the use of an equine antitoxin, and sometimes vomiting is induced and enemas are given. Surgery and antibiotics are usually given to treat wound botulism, and a human-derived antitoxin is given to infants with botulism. Recovery time can take weeks.

    Prevention of Botulism

    • Practice hygiene when canning food, and keep herbs or garlic in oil in the refrigerator. Boil home-canned foods for 10 minutes, keep potatoes baked in aluminum foil hot or refrigerate them, and never give honey to a child who is not yet 1 year old.

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