Infectionist Malyshev spoke about ways to get botulism: die from fat

Summer is the traditional canning season and, alas, outbreaks of botulism cases. The neurotoxin-causing bacterium Clostridium botulinum is believed to be transmitted primarily through home-canned food (primarily mushrooms). However, you can get botulism in other, very unexpected ways.

The other day it became known about the identification of five confirmed cases and four probable botulism in Italy and Spain: it is suspected that people became infected through … potato omelettes.

How else can you get infected with this dangerous disease, is there any way to prevent it – learned “MK”.

All of the victims (two in Italy and three in Spain) showed neurotoxin type B; and they all consumed packaged potato omelettes (a popular dish in Spain) sold in Spanish supermarkets. Three of the five confirmed cases required medical attention in intensive care units, and no deaths have yet been reported. Four more cases have not yet been laboratory confirmed, although people have also experienced botulism-like symptoms after eating potato omelettes. The age of the victims ranged from 23 to 63 years.

And although the epidemiological investigation has not been completed yet (the pathogen or its toxins were not found either in suspicious products or in their production processes), the manufacturing company voluntarily recalled the suspicious products, stopped its production and informed consumers about the need to return all suspicious products they purchased.

By the way, in 2021, 82 cases of botulism were registered in the EU countries, including 10 cases in Spain; the lethality rate was 7.5%.

Recall that botulism is a dangerous disease caused by the neurotoxin of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which is designated as BoNT. Curiously, the word “botulism” in Latin means “sausage”: this is an echo of the times when sausages or sausages were associated with food poisoning. For example, in the 18th century, people believed that people were poisoned by sausage due to the fact that “cadaveric poison” was formed in it during storage. The true culprit was discovered only in 1895. Today, BoNT is considered one of the most powerful organic poisons: 1-3 ng/kg of poison is enough for a lethal outcome.

Best of all, neurotoxins are formed in an oxygen-free environment (canned food), an environment with low acidity, salinity and at a temperature of 28-35 C. Seaweed, green beans, mushrooms, spinach, beets, fish, meat products are frequent carriers of neurotoxin. Babies under one year of age are most likely to become infected with botulism when they consume honey. “Botulism is not always a story about mushrooms,” says a well-known military doctor, therapist Alexei Vodovozov. – It can be about any product that has come into contact with the soil in any form. So this is about fish, and even about canned cucumbers. It is impossible to defend yourself in any way, botulinum toxins have neither taste, nor color, nor smell. Unless there is nothing at all. We follow the characteristic symptoms – double vision, sudden strabismus, difficulty swallowing, increasing muscle weakness, especially noticeable in relation to the respiratory muscles, bilateral amimia (“mask-like face”). And all this after contact with food, which theoretically could have contact with the soil and was somehow preserved at some stage. Botulism needs time in a canned product, there is no other way.”

In some cases, the disease causes paralysis, and sometimes leads to death. The treatment that exists today (and this is the introduction of serum) is effective only in the early stages: until the botulinum toxin has entered the motor neurons. Scientists continue to search for cures for this threat. A couple of years ago, a team of American scientists announced the development of the world’s first therapy that can block the action of toxins after they get inside neurons (a study in mice showed this, it remains to wait for results in humans).

As a well-known infectious disease specialist, Professor Nikolai Malyshev, told MK, infection with botulism through a potato omelette is quite unexpected: “But on the other hand, we do not know the recipe. Maybe there was egg powder in there that wasn’t stored properly. And it is not known what the heat treatment was. Clostridium can get into products from the earth, can live in the intestines of animals. But basically, botulism is transmitted through canned food, a variety of: meat, vegetable, mushroom, and even fruit.”

– But the main concerns are related to canned mushrooms. Why?

– Firstly, they are in contact with the ground more than others, sometimes they are poorly washed, they are subjected to insufficient heat treatment … There are a lot of options here. Many years ago there was a scandal about the transmission of botulism through baby juices, which were produced by a well-known company in the United States. There were many cases of infection, but the company pleaded guilty and paid for the treatment of all victims.

How common is botulism in our country?

From time to time, and most often the reason is the use of home-made canning. It comes first. In addition, the cause may be meat products, the same fat, especially with meat streaks. It happens sometimes: I ate one piece – nothing, and the other – and already something. I remember a case: people brought fat, treated the guests. Two people died, and at the commemoration they laid out this fat again – and again several people died again.

How does botulinum toxin get into lard?

– Well, how? The carcass is butchered, the fat is removed, and it is stained with intestinal contents.

– And the poison does not die in the freezer?

– Doesn’t die.

– If we are talking about canning, does sterilization prevent the appearance of botulinum toxin?

Yes, but it should be sufficient. A long heat treatment is needed, everything must be washed cleanly.

– They say that botulism does not live in an acidic environment. Does adding vinegar to canned food help?

– Yes But, but keep in mind that clostridia has a bacteriostatic effect, it can slow down vital activity, and under favorable conditions, revive. I am against all home canned food.

…Despite all the danger, like any poison, BoNT has found application in medicine and even cosmetology. Medicines based on it are used to treat neurological problems, hyperhidrosis, strabismus. In cosmetology, BoNT is known as Botox.