Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze epidemiological data concerning foodborne botulism in Western Romania over the last decade. Botulism, the toxin formed by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, results in a neuroparalytic disorder capable of severe clinical progression that begins in the cranial nerves and progressively descends. Preventing progression to a severe case entails timely diagnosis since curative assets are restricted. Ingesting food containing a preformed toxin (foodborne botulism) is the most typical form. Methods: Medical records were retrospectively analyzed from 2010 to 2020 for all food botulism cases. A seroneutralization test was performed with type A, B and E anti-botulinum sera to establish the kind of toxin involved. Results: Overall, 18 cases of foodborne botulism were admitted to the hospital during this period and confirmed by laboratory analysis. Most of the participants in our study were men (61.1%), and 77.8% of the total lived in rural areas. All the participants showed classic symptoms of botulism, and dysphagia was present in all cases. The trivalent ABE antitoxin was administered by the hospital, and toxin type B was isolated in all patients. The main sources of the toxin were pork, ham and canned pork meat. Conclusions: Stronger efforts are needed to foster community awareness of foodborne botulism, particularly in home-preserved food.
Highlights
Foodborne botulism is an unusual illness with an unpredictable progression that is closely correlated with food canning traditions and certain product handling techniques [1,2,3,4,5,6]
A total of eight Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) were identified: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and X [9], and each type can yield more than 40 subtypes [10]
From 2010 to 2020, 18 patients with foodborne botulism were admitted to Victor
Summary
Foodborne botulism is an unusual illness with an unpredictable progression that is closely correlated with food canning traditions and certain product handling techniques [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The disease mostly affects humans but can be found in animals. The illness was initially observed in the 17th century in Europe linked to sausages. The disease was known in Europe during the late 18th century and later was accepted as a foodborne disease throughout the northern hemisphere [8]. Food poisoning in humans is a clinical feature of neurotoxins A, B, and E [11], while C and D affect animals consuming fish products may cause type E botulism, according to some reports [12].
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