First Report of an Infant Intestinal Botulism Case in A Recent Decade in Taiwan

Abstract

On 20^(th) January 2015, a 5-month-old girl was notified, and later known as a laboratory-confirmed infant botulism in a medical center in Tainan. It is the first report of an infant intestinal botulism patient in Taiwan in the recent decade. As the tests to the five suspicious food samples were all negative, the source of infection remains uncertain. There are a number of experiences to be shared from the investigation: 1. Blood draws in infants are limited so that it would have taken more than once to collect blood samples from an infant for Botulism tests; 2. Since only Equine Botulinum Antitoxin is available in Taiwan, clinicians should balance between potential risk of hypersensitivity and therapeutic outcome. Accordingly, the workbook provided by Taiwan CDC on prevention and control of infant botulism might need to be amended; 3. In order to collect epidemiological data, it is very important to support family members psychologically, as they feel sorry and guilty for the incidence.