Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which occurs in soil. It produces a toxin that affects your nerves. There are three kinds of botulism. Foodborne botulism comes from eating foods contaminated with the toxin. Wounds infected with toxin-producing bacteria result in wound botulism. Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the bacteria, usually from honey. All three forms can be deadly and are medical emergencies.
Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness. Treatment may include antitoxins, intensive medical care or surgery of infected wounds.
To prevent botulism:
- Be very careful when canning foods at home
- Do not let babies eat honey
- Get prompt medical care for infected wounds
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Foodborne Diseases: Botulism
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/botulism/
- Botulism(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/botulism/DS00657/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Botulism: Frequently Asked Questions(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm
- Frozen, Fully-Cooked Products and Botulism--Food Safety Advisory(Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Frozen_Fully_Cooked_Products_&_Botulism/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Botulism(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Botulism%22
- Article: Classification tree methods for development of decision rules for botulism... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18570166&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Plastic bags and botulism: a new twist to an old... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18491806&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Recurrent bulbar paralysis caused by botulinum toxin type B. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18444842&tool=MedlinePlus
- Botulism -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(botulism[majr]+NOT+botulinum+toxin+type+a[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov/
- National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Botulism(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/botulism.html
- Infant Botulism(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/botulism.html
- Biodefense and Bioterrorism - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/biodefenseandbioterrorism.html
- Botox - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/botox.html
- Food Contamination and Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodcontaminationandpoisoning.html
- Food Safety - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodsafety.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Botulism is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/