Facts about Botulism
Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum.
There are three main kinds of botulism:
- Foodborne
botulism occurs when a person ingests pre-formed toxin that leads to
illness within a few hours to days. Foodborne botulism is a public health
emergency because the contaminated food may still be available to other
persons besides the patient.
- Infant
botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who
harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract.
- Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with C. botulinum that secretes the toxin.
With foodborne botulism, symptoms begin within 6 hours to 2 weeks (most commonly between 12 and 36 hours) after eating food that contains the toxin. Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that moves down the body, always affecting the shoulderskeep descends first, then the upper arms, lower arms, thighs, calves, etc. Paralysis of breathing muscles can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided.
Botulism is not spread from one person to another. Foodborne botulism can occur in all age groups.
A supply of antitoxin against botulism is maintained by CDC. The antitoxin is effective in reducing the severity of symptoms if administered early in the course of the disease. Most patients eventually recover after weeks to months of supportive care.
- Page last reviewed October 06, 2006
- Page last updated October 14, 2001
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