Abstract
In June 2008, three Dutch tourists participating in a mini-cruise in Turkey needed urgent repatriation for antitoxin treatment because of symptoms of botulism. Because there was a shortage of antitoxin in the Netherlands, an emergency delivery was requested from the manufacturer in Germany. An outbreak investigation was initiated into all nine cruise members, eight of whom developed symptoms. C. botulinum type B was isolated in stool culture from four of them. No other patients were notified locally. Food histories revealed locally purchased unprocessed black olives, consumed on board of the ship, as most likely source, but no left-overs were available for investigation. C. botulinum type D was detected in locally purchased canned peas, and whilst type D is not known to be a cause of human intoxication, its presence in a canned food product indicates an inadequate preserving process. With increasing tourism to areas where food-borne botulism is reported regularly special requests for botulism antitoxin may become necessary. Preparing an inventory of available reserve stock in Europe would appear to be a necessary and valuable undertaking.
Highlights
Botulism is a disease caused by the neurotoxin of Clostridium botulinum
Types A and B are related to food-borne botulism, of which type B seems to predominate in Europe [1]
A confirmed case was defined as a person who participated in the sailing trip from 17 June onwards, who met the clinical criteria for botulism (at least signs of bilateral cranial nerve neuropathy as Figure Cases of botulism by day of onset of disease among cruise participants, Turkey, 17-24 June 2008 (n=8)
Summary
Botulism is a disease caused by the neurotoxin of Clostridium botulinum. Seven serotypes of botulinum neurotoxin have been identified, A to G. The onset of symptoms was between the afternoon of 18 June and 24 June (Figure 1) In this cluster, a confirmed case was defined as a person who participated in the sailing trip from 17 June onwards, who met the clinical criteria for botulism (at least signs of bilateral cranial nerve neuropathy as Figure Cases of botulism by day of onset of disease among cruise participants, Turkey, 17-24 June 2008 (n=8). The three following patients, including the cook, returned to the Netherlands for treatment on 25 June and were admitted to different hospitals [4] As their clinical symptoms matched with botulism, botulism antitoxin type A, B, E was administered to all of them. As botulism is a rare disease in the Netherlands, the available stock of antitoxin is limited
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
