Facts on File Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

The diagnostic path includes a comprehensive
NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATIONand testing for the pres-
ence of C. botulinumin either a stool sample or
sample of the suspected food source.

Treatment Options and Outlook

Treatment in older children and adults is hospital-
ization and prompt administration of trivalent
ABE ANTITOXINto counter the effects of the toxin
the C. botulinum bacteria produce. Additional
treatment for wound botulism is intravenous
antibiotics, usually high doses of penicillin or clin-
damycin. Treatment for infant botulism is the
antibiotic amoxicillin. With prompt and appropri-
ate treatment many people fully recover from bot-
ulism, though some people have weakness,
paralysis, or other neurologic symptoms.

Risk Factors and Preventive Measures
C. botulinumspores are present in soil and thus can
contaminate vegetables and fruits. The risk for

infection occurs with improperly canned or

processed foods because the C. botulinumbacteria

thrive and vastly multiply in the anaerobic envi-

ronment. It is not possible to detect their presence

by the appearance, smell, or taste of the contami-

nated food, though often the can or jar lid bulges.

Home-canned foods are more commonly the

source of foodborne botulism. Infants under one

year should not eat honey or foods that contain

honey, as unpasteurized honey is a common

source of C. botulinum spores that are not a health

risk to adults but can cause illness in infants.

Wound botulism may develop even when the per-

son takes antibiotics because the broad-spectrum

antibiotics typically prescribed are not effective

against C. botulinum. Diligent cleansing of injuries

that have soil contamination reduces the risk for

wound botulism.

See also ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATIONS; BOTULINUM THER-

APY; FOODBORNE ILLNESSES; FOOD SAFETY; GUILLAIN-

BARRÉ SYNDROME; NEURON; WATERBORNE ILLNESSES.

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