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According to news reports, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is investigating a botulism death and four illnesses that may be associated with fermented beluga whale flipper. The people allegedly got sick at a New Year’s Day dinner in Nome where native foods were served.
RASFF – botulinum toxin (presence /25g) in canned sardines in olive oil from Portugal in Spain
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Grupo Día, which has 7,400 stores, has recalled a batch of canned sardines in olive oil in Spain and Portugal because of botulinum toxin.
The product comes from Portugal and was distributed in Spain. No illnesses have been reported.
Foodborne botulism, caused by eating food that was improperly processed or held at improper temperatures, is rare but potentially fatal if not diagnosed rapidly and treated with antitoxin.
Grupo Día officials said the withdrawal is a precautionary measure due to a possible sterilization defect.
The Spanish multinational company specializes in the distribution of food, household and personal care products. It operates in Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil and China with almost 7,400 stores.
The Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) issued a statement saying it had learnt that more than 24,500 cans of sardines had been recalled.
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A traditional Norwegian fish dish has been recalled due to a link with a case of botulism.
Torpet Fiskeoppdrettsanlegg AS recalled rakfisk due to suspicions that consumption can cause botulism. Rakfisk is a traditional Norwegian fish dish made from trout or char, salted and then fermented for up to a year before being eaten without cooking.
The withdrawal applies to all varieties of the product that the company produced in 2018.
The news comes days after another company, Slidre Ørretsenter, recalled rakfisk that is the suspected source of a Listeria outbreak in the country that has sickened eight people. Listeria was detected in rakfisk produced by the firm and eight patients reported they ate this product before becoming ill.
Potatoes aren’t often thought of when people think about food poisoning. This root vegetable is, after all, always cooked before it’s eaten, which would kill off any pathogenic bacteria. But this vegetable grows in soil and can be contaminated at any point along the supply chain.
But there have been some outbreaks linked to potatoes. Clostridium botulinum outbreaks have been linked to baked potatoes that are wrapped in aluminum foil. The spores that produce this deadly toxin are found in the soil, and they can contaminate the spuds. The spores can sometimes survive the baking process. If the potatoes are baked while tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, that creates an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. And that creates the perfect conditions for botulism spores to germinate, grow, and produce the botulism toxin.
Children under 12 months old should not consume honey
The Texas Department of State Health Services is warning parents and other adults not to give babies pacifiers containing honey after four babies were treated for botulism in Texas. Each infant had been given a honey-containing pacifier purchased in Mexico.
The four illnesses occurred from mid-August to the end of October and caused all four babies to be hospitalized for life-saving treatment. The unrelated infants are residents of West Texas, North Texas and South Texas.
Botulism is a serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves and can cause difficulty breathing, paralysis and even death. Honey may contain bacteria that produce the toxin in the intestine of babies that eat it. By the time children get to be 12 months old, they’ve developed enough other types of bacteria in their digestive tract to prevent the botulism bacteria from growing and producing toxin.
DSHS today also issued a health alert asking health care providers to look out for cases of infant botulism and to remind parents not to let babies eat honey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have long advised that children under 12 months old should not consume honey.
Honey-filled pacifiers are not common in the United States but may be available in some specialty stores and through online retailers. Most aren’t designed for the honey to be consumed, but some have a small hole so a child could eat the honey, or the pacifier could accidentally rupture or leak. Parents should also avoid pacifiers containing any other food substance, because they could also pose a risk of botulism.
Texas has had seven to eight cases of infant botulism per year in recent years. Ten confirmed or suspected cases have been reported in 2018. Additional information on botulism is available on the DSHS website.
Bringing a great relief to food lovers, particularly fans of processed foods, scientists from the USA and India have reported having found a herbal compound to fight botulinum, the most poisonous bacterial toxin that causes food poisoning. The study was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
The lethal botulinum toxins are produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium grows in an oxygen-free environment and can form spores—a dormant form of the bacteria that are difficult to kill. Botulinum enters our body when we consume improperly processed food that contains the bacterium or its spores. Although mainly a foodborne infection, botulism or poisoning by botulinum, can also be caused by wound infections and by inhalation.
Posted in Clostridium botulinum, Food Toxin, Toxin, Uncategorized
Researchers have identified a compound that strongly inhibits botulinum neurotoxin, the most toxic compound known. That inhibiting compound, nitrophenyl psoralen (NPP), could be used as a treatment to reduce paralysis induced by botulism. Botulinum neurotoxin is considered a potential bioweapon because there is no FDA-approved antidote. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
The Ukraine Ministry of Health reported an additional botulism death in a man from the Kherson region, the eighth botulism fatality of the year.
The probable cause of botulism is smoked homemade fish, which he and his wife eaten the day before. The woman is currently hospitalized for her illness in a severe resuscitation unit.
The Ministry of Health once again emphasizes that with the slightest suspicion of botulism, urgent medical attention should be sought. The success of treatment depends on early diagnosis and proper treatment, which in most cases is accompanied by the introduction of botulinum antitoxin.
As a precaution, approximately 7,000 cases of Taco Bell Salsa Con Queso Mild Cheese Dip are being voluntarily recalled because the affected product is showing signs of product separation which can lead to a potential health hazard.
This could create conditions that could allow for the growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.
Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double vision, and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
There have been no consumer complaints or reports of illness related to this issue to date.
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