Clostridium boutulinum poisoning

Boutulism is caused by ingesting a toxin produced by Clostridium boutulinum.

Boutulism is caused by ingesting a toxin produced by Clostridium boutulinum.

It has been recognized for over 1,000 years as foodborne disease.

The word botulism actually means disease that comes from sausage (Latin botulus, sausage).In fact , nitrate was first added to sausage and meats to reduce the risk of botulinum poisoning.
Sources:the organism is found everywhere and commonly inhabits the soil.

Types A and B are the variants in the soils in the United states .
Like C. perfringens, this organism is a spore-former . While in the spore form , it is resistant to heat and other common treatment that customarily destroy microorganisms in their vegetative phase.

Neither the organism nor its spores are harmful , but the toxin produced that food must be handled correctly every time.

It is recommended that all home-canned products be boiled before being tasted. Most reported outbreaks are associated with canned foods that are often eaten without heating, such as tuna, mushrooms, and vichyssoise.
Clostridium Boutulism has also been implicated in outbreaks from food items that were not canned .

Clostridium boutulinum poisoning Symptoms:

Clostridium Botulism symptoms develop 12-36 hours after ingestion of the food . Shorter incubation periods follow the ingestion of larger amounts of toxin. Fatalities have resulted from a single bite!

Symptoms, nonspecific at first, include : weakness, dizziness and somnolence; this is followed by blurred or double vision , impaired salivation, hoarseness, and extreme thirst.

Finally , the diaphragm is paralyzed, resulting in death. Clinical diagnosis is difficult due to the rarity of the problem and non specificity of the symptoms. An antitoxin is available and effective if it is administered soon enough and supplemented by mechanical respirators.