How Do People Get Botulism?
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Botulism
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Botulism is a paralytic illness caused by contact or contamination with the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, which is a soil bacteria. There are seven types of the bacteria, names A through G, though only four cause complications in humans.
The disease manifests when the Clostridium botulinum creates a nerve toxin in the intestine, in an open wound or when ingested. Three types of botulism exist: infant intestinal colonization, wound botulism and food-borne botulism. Though the disease can be fatal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only about 145 cases are reported in the United States each year, and most occur in infant intestinal colonization.
Risk Factors
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Home-canned goods with low acid content like peas, green beans, corn and asparagus have been known to cause botulism. Baked root vegetables can also cause botulism if they are not appropriately handled, as heat inactivates the bacteria.
As honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, it can cause intestinal colonization in infants less than one year of age.
Wound botulism can be contracted by the bacterium entering the surface of an open wound. The number of cases of wound botulism have increased slightly since the 1990s as street drugs such as black tar heroin have become intravenous drugs, with users often neglecting the wounds or contracting the bacterium through dirty needles.
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Prevention
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Food-borne botulism is rare, as health standards in the United States have nearly eradicated contamination with the bacteria. However, the CDC reports cases that are linked to improperly handled canned goods and foil-wrapped root vegetables each year. Measures to prevent botulism and other food-borne illnesses in the handling of canning and other goods is available from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).
Infant intestinal colonization can be prevented by not exposing infants under the age of one year to honey, as honey increases the exposure to Clostridium botulinum. Honey is safe for children over the age of one year.
Wound botulism can be prevented by seeking medical treatment for open wounds and avoiding the use of intravenous street drugs.
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