Botulism risk factors
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Michael Maddaleni, B.S.
Overview
Infants are especially vulnerable to botulism. Utilizing canned foods also increases the risk for contracting botulism.
Risk Factors
Botulism risk factors can be based upon each botulism type as the following:[1][2]
Infant botulism
Infants are especially vulnerable to botulism.[3][4]
- The infants living in the rural areas are more susceptible to be infected with botulism.
- Feeding corn to the infants
- Sharing objects of infected infants with the healthy individuals can increase risk of infection to the healthy
- Being in contact with soil
- Honey intake
- Slow intestinal movement.
If a person utilizes home canning methods, there may be an increased risk for contracting botulism. Foods such as:
- Fish
- Vegetables
- Beets
- Corn
- Spinach
- String beans
- Chili peppers
- Asparagus
- Honey
These foods, especially the vegetables in a can, cause a risk because they are at the same pH that the clostridium botulinum needs to survive. Also, the bacteria needs an anaerobic environment to survive, and this is what occurs in a canned product.
Acquiring botulism from inhalation is much rarer. Currently, the only people really at risk are certain factory workers as well as certain laboratory workers.
References
- ↑ CDC https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/definition.html Accessed on May 21, 2017
- ↑ Midura TF (1996). "Update: infant botulism". Clin Microbiol Rev. 9 (2): 119–25. PMC 172885. PMID 8964030.
- ↑ Istre GR, Compton R, Novotny T, Young JE, Hatheway CL, Hopkins RS (1986). "Infant botulism. Three cases in a small town". Am J Dis Child. 140 (10): 1013–4. PMID 3529934.
- ↑ Spika JS, Shaffer N, Hargrett-Bean N, Collin S, MacDonald KL, Blake PA (1989). "Risk factors for infant botulism in the United States". Am J Dis Child. 143 (7): 828–32. PMID 2741856.