One person died and eleven others contracted dietary botulism while eating home-canned sardines at a Bordeaux restaurant. This rare but potentially fatal disease is caused by a very powerful toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum that grows in certain foods. Foods for which the sterilization process has not been respected, generally artisanal products, “homemade” preparations.
• The preserves
“Clostridium botulinum only develops in the absence of oxygen,” says the Ministry of Agriculture. Canned foods, prepared in an artisanal way and that have not been scrupulously sterilized, are, therefore, a favorable terrain for these bacteria. They especially appreciate canned vegetables.
Its toxins have been found in “slightly acidic canned vegetables, such as green beans, spinach, mushrooms and beets,” explains the World Health Organization.
A list to which the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) adds asparagus, carrots, carrot juice, peppers, Greek olives, pumpkin, tapenade, etc.
On the contrary, canned foods made from very acidic foods with a high sugar content are not affected. “Raspberries, apples, strawberries, blueberries, jams and fruit jams are naturally protected against the growth of Clostridium botulinum,” writes the Quebec government.
This is confirmed by Michel-Robert Popoff, research director at the Pasteur Institute, interviewed by Top Santé: “Acidic preserves, fruits in alcohol and jams containing at least 50% sugar do not present any risk.”
• Cooked meats
Certain meat products, produced in an artisanal way, must be subject to special surveillance. Mortadella, salted and dried raw ham, pâté, veal sausages or even sausages…
It was also in sausages that the toxin responsible for the infection was first detected. The name botulism comes from the Latin term botulus, which means “black pudding,” reports the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
• Sea products
the bacteria botulinum clostridium It is particularly widespread in aquatic environments. And it can be found in many fish and seafood, especially vacuum-packaged. Salted, dried or smoked fish, fish marinades, canned tuna…
• Honey
Honey may be responsible for a particular form of botulism: infant botulism, which affects babies up to one year old. This disease is caused by spores of the bacteria in question that can be found in dust and certain soils.
“Transported by bees, the spores are then found in honey,” emphasizes ANSES.
When a baby under one year old, with a still weak immune system, ingests contaminated honey, the bacteria can develop in his intestine and produce a toxin responsible for the disease. “After a year, the child’s defenses are more effective and allow him, on his own, to eliminate the spores,” adds the health organization.
Symptoms include constipation, a general state of weakness (the child is too weak to cry or breastfeed as usual, for example), difficulty breathing, lack of facial expression or even loss of control of head movements.
“The majority of cases of infant botulism require a very prolonged hospitalization under respiratory assistance,” warns ANSES. Therefore, it is not recommended to give honey to children under one year old, even in small quantities.
According to current knowledge, honey is the only identified source of infant botulism.
Source: BFM TV
