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Summary
Botulism is a rare but serious illness. The cause is a toxin (poison) made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. It occurs naturally in soil.
There are several kinds of botulism. Foodborne botulism comes from eating foods contaminated with the toxin. Wound botulism happens when a wound infected with the bacteria makes the toxin. It is more common in heroin users. Infant botulism happens when a baby consumes the spores of the bacteria from soil or honey. All forms can be deadly and are medical emergencies.
Symptoms include double or 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
Symptoms
- Symptoms of Botulism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Related Issues
- Home-Canned Foods (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Statistics and Research
- National Botulism Surveillance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Botulism (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Healthcare workers' knowledge and preparedness for unprecedented foodborne botulism outbreak in...
- Article: Novel platform for engineering stable and effective vaccines against botulinum neurotoxins...
- Article: Infant Botulism: In Search of Clostridium botulinum Spores.
- Botulism -- see more articles
Children
- Botulism (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Infant Botulism (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Botulism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Infant botulism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish