Infant botulism

     The disease is caused by a toxin produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium and is a rare disease but it is serious as much as it is rare. Toxins produced by the bacteria are among the most poisonous substances known.

Botulism forms

     There are three forms of this disease. These are:

• Botulism from food - bacteria grows and produces toxin in oxygen-poor environments, such as canned food.
• Botulism from wounds - the bacteria enters a dangerous wound infection and leads to the production of the toxin.
• Infant botulism - the most common form of the disease, begins after the bacteria enters the baby's digestive system and begins to develop. Usually occurs between six weeks and six months.

     All three diseases are medical emergencies and can be fatal. If you only suspect that your baby could suffer from infant botulism, going to a doctor is absolutely necessary and very urgent. Alerting authorities may also help other persons that could consume the infested food.

Symptoms of infant botulism

     Symptoms of infant botulism begin to make their presence felt between 12 and 36 hours after penetration of the toxin in the body, if the first two forms of the disease. In case of wound botulism, and can last for 10 days after infection until the first symptoms.

     Botulism from food weight makes its presence felt through swallowing, breathing and speech, facial muscle weakness, double vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, paralysis. The infant botulism has constipation as an early sign, followed by crying, powerless, fatigue, difficulty in sucking, weird movements and inability to control the head, because of muscle weakness and, eventually, paralysis.

     Botulism from food source is almost always from eating canned food. Homemade preserved canes of food, which are low in acid such as green beans, corn, seafood, chili peppers, are the most dangerous, but we know very well that on the market appeared a lot of infested canes. In infant botulism, bacteria spores are eaten and then grow and multiply in the gut, then begin to produce botulinum toxin. Source of bacterial spores are usually jars with honey, corn syrup, or exposure to contaminated soils.

Diagnose

     To diagnose botulism the doctor will look for symptoms of muscle weakness and will ask questions related to foods consumed or will consider any injuries. In cases of infant botulism, the doctor will ask if the baby has eaten honey or corn syrup, if your had problems with constipation. Sometimes you can analyze feces or vomit to see if there are any traces of botulinum toxin.

     Because it affects the muscles of the body, botulism can lead to a lot of complications. The greatest danger is that the patient cannot breathe. This is the main cause of death in patients with food or infant botulism.

     In cases of botulism food part of treatment is cleansing the digestive tract by inducing vomiting. In case of injuries, some tissue will be surgically removed. There are treatments that rely on antitoxins. These are substances that "stick" to botulinum toxin when it is still circulating in the blood of the sick patient and prevents it to attach itself to the nerves. However, antitoxins are not recommended for the infant botulism, because they cannot fight the germs that are in the digestive system. Study treatments exist, such as those with immunoglobulin, which could reduce the duration and severity of disease in children.

     Knowing that it is better to prevent than to treat, especially when treatment is difficult and long, these are precautionary measures to be taken in any family:

• Use proper conservation techniques, when preparing the house preserved food. It must be cooked to at least 121 degrees Celsius.
• Before eating canned foods, boil it for 10 minutes.
• Do not eat canned food if it smells or it has a damaged container, or is opened or inflated.
• If you prepare baked potatoes in foil, use them when they are still hot, or keep them in the refrigerator, NOT at room temperature.
• Do not give your baby under one year old honey or corn syrup, or even a teaspoon.