Profiling Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin so deadly that it could be used as a biological weapon.

Some history

Sausage poisoning, one of the earliest recognized forms of food poisoning, was first described in the 18th and early 19th centuries and was likely due to Clostridium botulinum. Infant botulism, a different form of illness, was described for the first time in California in 1976.

What is Clostridium botulinum, and where is its natural habitat?

Clostridium botulinum is a spore-forming bacterium that is only able to grow in the complete absence of molecular oxygen (anaerobic conditions), such as conditions found inside a hermetically sealed, processed can or jar of food. The spores are able to withstand normal cooking temperatures, but not the very high temperatures reached during the processing of most canned foods. Spores of Clostridium botulinum are found in soil and water around the world.

How is Clostridium botulinum transmitted? What is the incubation period of the infection?

Clostridium botulinum food poisoning results when an individual eats food in which the microbe has germinated, grown and produced its lethal toxin. In the case of infant botulism, the infant (one year old or less) ingests the spores that are in a food – honey is a typical vehicle – and the toxin is formed when the spores germinate and grow in the baby’s intestine. The incubation period for infant botulism is 3 to 10 days; for the more typical form of botulism, it is 12 to 72 hours.

What is botulism? How long does it take to develop?

Botulism is the syndrome produced by the action of Clostridium botulinum toxin on the body’s nervous system.

What are the symptoms of botulism?

Initial symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing, blurred vision and muscle weakness. Early symptoms of infant botulism include lethargy, weakness, poor muscle tone, constipation, difficulty feeding and a poor gag reflex. As the action of the toxin progresses, breathing becomes more difficult.

What is the prognosis of botulism?

Botulism can be fatal in 10 to 60% of cases, usually due to respiratory failure. Infant botulism, if treated appropriately, has a survival rate nearing 100%.

**What foods carry Clostridium botulinum and its toxin?**

Clostridium botulinum is associated with foods where molecular oxygen is absent – typically, processed low-acid canned foods. Because the microbe cannot grow in a very acid environment or in the presence of high levels of salt or sugar, botulism is not a risk in most canned tomato products or in jams or jellies containing sugar. Cases of botulism have been traced to a variety of foods, including home-canned vegetables, improperly stored foil-wrapped baked potatoes, and garlic packed in oil. Approximately 20% of infant botulism cases are traced back to honey that contains Clostridium botulinum spores.

How can people protect themselves from botulism poisoning?

The toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is inactivated by boiling. Home-canned vegetables should be heated to a boil and simmered for 10 minutes before being served. Leftovers – especially thick sauces and stews that probably contain little or no oxygen – also should be heated to a boil and simmered for 10 minutes before serving.

Never taste a food to see whether it is “off”; Clostridium botulinum can grow and produce its toxin without altering the appearance, taste, or odor of a food, and even a minuscule quantity of toxin is enough to make a person very ill.

Always cool leftovers promptly in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not let food stand at room temperature for extended periods of time. When thawing a frozen dish, do so in the refrigerator – not at room temperature.

Always pay attention to recall notices, and return any recalled item to the store, or discard it in a sealed bag.

For more information on Clostridium botulinum and other food-borne pathogens, visit the CDC website or read Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.

Botulism Update – Gaudiano Olives Shipped To 3 Continents

One elderly Helsinki woman is dead and a second patient – an adult member of the same household – is recovering in hospital after both ate from the same jar of almond-stuffed organic olives manufactured and packed by Gaudiano, an Italian food company.

Botulinum toxin was found in the opened jar by the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare laboratory.

Approximately 900 jars of the incriminated olives were imported into Finland by Kespro in September 2010; most were sold at supermarkets belonging to the K-chain in Espoo (Iso Omena), Vantaa (Jumbo) and Rovaniemi (Eteläkeskus). Some of the olives also were served to customers in four restaurants in the Greater Helsinki area: Kolme Seppää (Helsinki), La Famiglia (Helsinki and Vantaa), and Rafaello.

Kespro has withdrawn the olives from retail sale, and EVIRA (the Finnish Food Safety Authority) has issued a warning to the public against eating the potentially toxic olives. The recall encompasses Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed With Almonds (314 ml glass jars; see sample jar, above; Best before dates 08/2012 and 09/2012; Batch numbers H2510X or L1810X).

EVIRA has continued to analyze unopened jars of the stuffed olives, but has not yet discovered botulinum toxin in any jar except for the opened jar consumed by the two Helsinki victims. During its investigation, however, EVIRA has observed that the lids of some of the jars were not tightly closed and had leaked.

After receiving notification of the problem via the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Italian health authorities instructed the manufacturer (Società Cooperativa Agricola G.M.G. a r.l. dei F.lli Gaudiano) to suspend production and quarantine all outstanding products (not just the olives) pending an investigation of their manufacturing and packing operations. The company has withdrawn all production lots of its Almond-Stuffed Olives from the market.

Based on the trace-forward investigation carried out at Gaudiano’s facility, the incriminated batch of stuffed olives was shipped to one or more destinations in the following countries (see RASFF Notification #2011.1479): Armenia, Barbados, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Government food safety sites in Finland, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany have issued consumer alerts and/or recall notices for the incriminated batch of olives.

Olive-lovers around the world should check their pantries and refrigerators for Gaudiano products, and return the Almond-Stuffed Olives to the store or discard them in a sealed bag. And, until the Italian investigation is complete and the outcome is known, it would be wise to abstain from eating other Gaudiano products that are packed in hermetically-sealed jars.

Botulism Alert – Finland, Germany, United Kingdom and USA

Italian olives tainted with botulinum toxin sickened two members of a Helsinki family last week.

Both individuals reported having eaten Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds. Lab tests confirmed that the jar from which the two patients had eaten the olives contained botulinum toxin.

The tainted olives were packed in 314ml glass jars, with a best before date of 09/2012. They were imported into Finland by Kespro as early as September 2010. The olives were sold in Finland to K-food stores KCM Big Apple (Espoo), KCM Jumbo (Vantaa) and KSM South Centre (Rovaniemi), and to a few restaurants.

The olives have been withdrawn from sale in Finland, and consumers who purchased this product are asked to return it to the store.

Germany’s Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety has learned that some of these olives also were distributed in Germany, and is asking its citizens to dispose of any of the implicated jars of olives “with household waste”.

According to a notice posted October 21, 2011 on the Rapid Alert System for Foods and Feeds (RASFF) and updated this morning (October 24th), these olives also were distributed to the United Kingdom and the USA. So far, neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor Britain’s Food Standards Agency has issued a Consumer Alert or a public health advisory of any sort.

eFood Alert Advisory to Consumers in Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA:

Check your pantry for Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds (Product of Italy; Best before 09/2012), and discard the product in a safe manner. DO NOT TASTE THIS PRODUCT. If you have consumed even a tiny amount of this product and begin to experience any symptoms of botulism, including blurred vision or difficulty swallowing, seek immediate medical attention.