Where does the toxin come from?
The spores of the pathogen are widespread in the soil and land on vegetables, mushrooms, and fish. Regular washing and even boiling do not destroy the spores. If the product is sealed in a jar without access to air and is not properly processed, the spores will germinate and the bacteria will begin to release a toxin. This is why homemade seams are dangerous, especially mushrooms and vegetables with low acidity, as well as home-cooked dried and salted fish. Commercially canned food is pressure sterilized and safe, although a bulging can with any contents should not be eaten. Some forms of the disease are wound botulism and infant botulism, in which spores germinate in the infant's immature intestines.
- Homemade rolls of mushrooms, vegetables, meat and fish
- Homemade dried and salted fish
- Bloated and leaking jars
- Wound botulism due to soil contamination of the wound
- Botulism in infants, including those associated with honey up to one year of age
- The appearance and taste of the product are often unchanged
Symptoms and how they develop
The first signs often appear within 24 hours after consuming the contaminated product, but the period can last up to several days. Sometimes the disease begins with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dry mouth, but the main difference from food poisoning is the neurological symptoms. Vision is impaired: objects double, letters blur, eyelids droop. Then it becomes difficult to swallow and speak clearly, the voice becomes nasal. Weakness spreads from top to bottom, symmetrically, involving the muscles of the neck, arms and respiratory muscles. Consciousness is preserved, the temperature is normal - this is an important diagnostic sign.
- Double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids
- Dry mouth, thirst
- Difficulty swallowing and choking
- Nasal slurred speech
- Symmetrical muscle weakness, increasing from top to bottom
- Difficulty breathing
- Constipation and bloating
- Normal temperature and clear consciousness
How is it different from food poisoning?
Common food poisoning and intestinal infections occur with vomiting, diarrhea and often fever, and after a day or two you feel better. With botulism, diarrhea is not typical; rather, on the contrary, constipation and bloating develop. The temperature remains normal, but eye and swallowing disorders increase. Another feature: everyone who ate the same product gets sick, but the severity may differ from person to person. Therefore, if visual disturbances appear after home-canned food, you should not hesitate, even if your overall health seems satisfactory.
- No diarrhea, mostly constipation and bloating
- Temperature is usually normal
- Double vision and difficulty swallowing are key signs
- Consciousness preserved
- Everyone who ate the product gets sick
- The condition gets worse rather than better over time
Diagnostics
The diagnosis is made primarily clinically: the combination of characteristic neurological symptoms with an indication of home canned food is enough to begin treatment immediately. You cannot wait for laboratory confirmation, since every hour of delay worsens the prognosis. To confirm, blood, vomit, gastric lavage and product residues are examined for the presence of a toxin, so it is important to save the suspicious jar and give it to doctors. Electroneuromyography helps to distinguish botulism from other diseases with muscle weakness, and examination by a neurologist helps to exclude stroke, myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
- Assessment of clinical picture and nutritional history
- Saving a suspicious product for investigation
- Testing blood and biomaterial for toxin
- Electroneuromyography
- Examination by a neurologist for differential diagnosis
- Monitoring breathing parameters
Treatment and prevention
Treatment is carried out only in a hospital, often in the intensive care unit. Anti-botulinum serum is administered as early as possible, which binds the toxin still circulating in the blood; it has no effect on the toxin already associated with the nerves, so timing is everything. Additionally, the stomach and intestines are washed, infusion therapy is prescribed, if swallowing is impaired, they are fed through a tube, and if the respiratory muscles are weak, they are transferred to artificial ventilation. Recovery is slow as new nerve endings form and may take weeks or months. Prevention is simple: do not prepare mushrooms and meat in sealed jars at home, follow canning technology, throw away bulging jars, and do not give honey to children under one year of age.
- Immediately call an ambulance by number 103
- Early administration of anti-botulinum serum
- Gastric lavage and intestinal cleansing
- Artificial ventilation for respiratory failure
- Tube feeding for swallowing problems
- Long-term rehabilitation after discharge
- Prevention: avoidance of homemade mushroom packing, control of jars, honey not for children under one year old