Botulizm (Botulismus)
It is a serious food-borne disease. If not treated promptly and adequately, the cause of Botulism disease, which has a high mortality rate, is Clostridium botulinum. Its toxin tends to change with heat and can be removed by heating at 80 ° C for 10 minutes or more.
How Is It Transmitted?
Foodborne botulism is a serious food poisoning caused by the consumption of food containing the toxin produced during the development of the microorganism. Botulismus toxin, canned corn, pepper, green beans, soup, beets, asparagus, mushrooms, ripe olives, spinach, tuna, chicken and chicken liver and liver head and light lunch meats, ham, sausage, stuffed eggplant, lobster and smoked and in foods such as salted fish. Many outbreaks recorded annually have been found to be related to poorly processed foods, home-made canned food. Occasionally, it has also been found in commercially produced foods. Sausages, meat products, canned vegetables and seafood are the most common food products for human botulism.
What are the Symptoms?
Foodborne botulism (actually foodborne poisoning) is a disease caused by consuming food containing toxins produced by bacteria. Although the incubation period varies between 4 hours and 8 days, the initial symptoms of foodborne botulism appear between 18-36 hours after consumption of the toxic food.
Early symptoms of poisoning are marked weakness, weakness, and dizziness.
Blurred vision and double vision, dry mouth, difficulty speaking and swallowing, decreased heart rate, low blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, painful swelling, unexpected skin color changes, sweating disorders, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and constipation It is among the general symptoms. If left untreated, it has a high mortality rate.
How Is It Diagnosed?
The diagnosis of botulismus is largely based on the patient’s history, clinical and epidemiological characteristics, and exclusion of other possible conditions by differential diagnosis.
Certain related (key) clinical findings in bringing the disease to mind are blurred vision, double vision, weakness, and symmetrical paralysis. Routine laboratory tests have a limited place in diagnosis.
Diagnosis is made by detecting botulinum toxin in serum, feces, vomit, stomach contents or the patient’s meal, or isolating C. botulinum from fecal or wound cultures.
How is it treated?
Supportive treatment methods, especially close respiratory monitoring and support, are life-saving in botulism. The patient should be taken to the intensive care unit, and the airway must be kept open with an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy. Polyvalent antitoxin (antitoxic botulinum serum) should be applied in the treatment. Antitoxin administration should be done as early as possible, since the antitoxin neutralizes the toxin that is free in the circulation but does not affect the toxin attached to the nerve endings.
If the patient with suspected botulism applied within a few hours, vomiting or gastric lavage can help to remove the remaining toxin. On the other hand, unless the patient has severe ileus, the intestines should be emptied with a purgative or an enema.
Crystallized penicillin should be used in wound botulism. Metranidazole can be used as an alternative to penicillin. Surgical cleaning of the wound is also required in wound botulism.
What are the Ways of Protection?
- During the preparation of home canned food, sufficient heat and pressure should be applied and boiled for 10 minutes before consumption.
- Swollen canned food should not be opened and stinking foods should not be eaten.
- Microwaves neither kill the spore nor neutralize the toxin.
- Honey should not be given to babies under one year old.
Who is in the Risk Group?
Anyone who consumes foods that have not been canned, stored, suspicious and with spoiled packaging under appropriate conditions are at risk.
