Understanding Botulism

Have you heard of food poisoning? It may sound strange, but you can be poisoned by food, especially food that wasn't cooked or preserved properly. Botulism (pronounced botch-uh-lih-zum) is a serious kind of food poisoning, but fortunately it's also very rare. Only about 110 people get it every year in the United States. About 300 million people live in the United States, so that's not very many.

What Is Botulism?
Botulism can be caused by foods that were canned or preserved at home. Maybe you've had fruit or vegetables that someone picked from the garden in the summer and jarred so they could be eaten during the winter months. These foods need to be cooked at very high temperatures to kill the germs.

If not, bacteria called Clostridium botulinum could cause botulism in the people who eat the food. You can't always see, smell, or taste these bacteria, but they release a poison, also called a toxin. This toxin travels through the blood to attach to the nerves that control muscles. From several hours to a week after eating contaminated food, the person may get sick.

Many botulism cases occur in infants, and experts think that's because their digestive systems can't protect them from germs the way an older kid's or an adult's digestive system can. Infant botulism can happen if a baby younger than 1 year eats honey, so it's important that babies don't eat honey until they're older.

What Does Botulism Do?
Botulism stops the muscles from working, so someone with botulism needs medical care right away. As the toxin spreads, muscles become weak all over. Many people feel queasy and may throw up or have diarrhea. Other symptoms can include:
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty speaking
- droopy eyelids
- double or blurred vision
- trouble breathing

What Will the Doctor Do?
After hearing about a person's symptoms or examining a baby, the doctor will probably test the blood or stool (poop) for the toxin. The doctor also might do a spinal tap or other tests to be sure. Someone who has botulism will have to go to the hospital to be watched closely. It can take a long time for the person to get better.

Preventing Botulism
- take precautions with respect to canned foods (if unsure
about the food then don't eat it
- canned foods should be cooked at a high temperature
- babies shouldn't have honey
- wash your hands

Understanding Botulism Choose the best answer. 1. Botulism is a serious kind of ___________? motorcycle food poisoning poem 2. The bacteria that causes botulism may be found in _____________? car trunks canned food 3. Can a baby get botulism? yes no 4. ___________ may cause botulism in babies. bad tv shows honey western music 5. Botulism stops your ____________________. teenagers from listening to rap music tongue from tasting muscles from working 6. Botulism needs __________________? little attention Medical care RIGHT AWAY 7. Best prevention consists of ______________________ ? listening to Barry Manilow music a good back rub don't eat tainted canned food, wash your hands Press when complete. Your score: