About Botulism. Minus Related Pages. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Most human cases of botulism are caused by improperly cooked, preserved or canned foods where growth of the bacterium has produced the toxins.
This rare form of botulism is caused by contaminated soil or gravel invading a wound. Intravenous drug users are also susceptible. Symptoms occur after four days to two weeks. Botulism is a medical emergency. Antitoxin against botulism should be administered early, if available, to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Be careful when preparing home-preserved foods. Botulism has been associated with canned foods and, more recently, with vegetables in oil and some other foods.
Throw out all raw or canned food that shows any sign of being spoiled. When canning or preserving foods at home, pay particular attention to hygiene, cooking time, pressure, temperature, refrigeration and storage. Pressure cooking is the only recommended method for preserving foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and most vegetables.
Use only recipes with tested proportions of ingredients and be sure to follow recommendations for time, pressure and safe preserving methods appropriate to the size of container, style of pack and kind of food being processed. When in doubt, throw it out. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The type of pain felt in the abdomen can vary greatly.
Children may feel stomach pain for a range of reasons and may need treatment. Without treatment, botulism eventually causes paralysis that spreads down the body from the head to the legs. Affected babies may also have a weak cry, find it difficult to feed, and have a floppy head, neck and limbs. The bacteria themselves aren't harmful, but they can produce highly poisonous toxins when deprived of oxygen, such as in closed cans or bottles, stagnant soil or mud, or occasionally, the human body.
Treatment won't reverse any paralysis that's already been caused by the toxin, but will stop it getting any worse. In most people, paralysis that occurred before treatment will gradually improve over the following weeks or months. As a result of high standards of food hygiene in the UK, the chances of getting food-borne botulism from food bought in this country are tiny.
There's a slightly higher risk if you produce your own food, particularly if this involves canning. Don't eat food from bulging or damaged cans, and avoid eating foul-smelling preserved foods, foods stored at the incorrect temperature, and out-of-date foods. Wound botulism.
If these bacteria get into a cut, they can cause a dangerous infection that produces the toxin. Infant botulism. This most common form of botulism begins after Clostridium botulinum bacterial spores grow in a baby's intestinal tract. It typically occurs in babies between the ages of 2 months and 8 months.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Rochester, Minn. Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed May 29, Pegram PS, et al.
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