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Botulism Facts & Treatment
Foodborne botulism is a severe type of food poisoning caused by the ingestion of foods containing the potent toxin formed by waste products of growing of the organisms. The can be destroyed if heated at 476°F for 10 minutes or longer. The incidence of the disease is low, but the disease is a concern because of its high death rate if not treated immediately and properly. Part of the problem is a very small amount of toxin can cause illness. It may be indictable by taste or smell in food products.
Most of the 10 to 30 outbreaks that are reported annually in the United States are associated with inadequately processed, home-canned foods, but occasionally commercially produced foods have been involved in outbreaks. Sausages, meat products, canned vegetables and seafood products have been the most frequent vehicles for human botulism.
The organism and its spores are widely distributed in nature. They occur in both cultivated and forest soils, bottom sediments of streams, lakes, and coastal waters, and in the intestinal tracts of fish and mammals, and in the gills and viscera of crabs and other shellfish.
The symptoms of foodborne botulism usually occur within 18 to 36 hours after ingestion of the contaminated food, although cases have varied from 4 hours to 8 days. Early symptoms of intoxication are weakness, a dizzy, confused state of mind, usually followed by double vision and progressive difficulty in speaking and swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal swelling, and constipation may also be common symptoms.
Botulinum toxin causes paralysis by blocking motor nerves usually starting with the eyes, face, the throat, chest and extremities. When the chest muscles become paralyzed, respiration is inhibited and death from asphyxia results. Recommended treatment for foodborne botulism includes administration of antitoxin and mechanical breathing assistance.
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