What is botulism and how to treat it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

There is one symptom that cannot be confused with anything. If you have it, immediately call an ambulance.

I was 14 when my father and I were diagnosed with botulism. The classic case: from dried river fish bought at the nearest market. We ate it for dinner, and at night Daddy was taken away in a semi-swooning state by an ambulance.

In the emergency room, they put on either poisoning or a stroke, and only by a miracle a neurologist who ran past the gurney, noticing the newcomer's lack of reflexes, suspected something was wrong. Thanks to him, dad was saved, although it turned out to be three weeks in intensive care: at times - on a ventilator, at times - unconscious. Then my father learned to breathe again, sit, walk.

“Botulism has blurred symptoms,” doctors later said. That is why it is often determined too late, when there is no longer any help for a person.

My young body did better. Symptoms appeared only on the second day, in the morning. I woke up, opened my eyes and saw a fog around.

By that time, my mother and I had re-read all the medical encyclopedias that we could reach. And I perfectly understood what that meant. I packed my bag myself and called an ambulance. I felt really bad already in the car. Fortunately, not for long - just about five days and without resuscitation. I'm lucky.

But luck does not smile at everyone. Therefore, it is important to understand when to call an ambulance. It could save your life.

What is botulism

Botulism Botulism is poisoning by the waste products of bacteria of the Clostridium botulinum species. Microbes live in the soil, as well as in the intestines of many animals and fish - usually benthic ones, which come into contact with sand and silt. In this state, botulinum microbes are conditionally harmless. They become dangerous when they get into an environment with a low oxygen content.

In an oxygen-free environment, bacteria actively multiply and release toxins - one of the most powerful poisons known to mankind Botulism.

Botulinum toxins block the nervous system and cause muscle paralysis throughout the body, including those responsible for breathing and heartbeat.

Where does botulism come from?

There are three main ways Botulism infects the body with botulinum bacteria.

1. With food

Bacterial spores can be found in canned foods if they are cooked or stored in a lack of oxygen. Also dangerous are products that are initially poorly washed and poorly thermally processed. Often this is:

• meat stew;
• canned mushrooms, fruits, vegetables (especially green beans, spinach, beets), seasonings;
• potatoes stewed in foil;
• ham, sausages;
• dried, smoked, dried river fish;
• ready-to-eat foods in low oxygen packaging.

Once in the intestines, the bacteria Clostridium botulinum begin to actively produce poison.

2. Through the wounds

Sometimes bacteria enter the body through the smallest damage to the skin. The toxin produced by the microbes then spreads through the bloodstream throughout the body. Wound botulism is often recorded in people who use heroin. This drug may contain spores of dangerous bacteria.

3. From mother to baby

Infant botulism is a disease of the first year of life. If a mother has eaten a product containing Clostridium botulinum, harmful germs can enter the baby's body along with milk. There are also occasional cases of infection through honey or corn syrup, which is used to lubricate the pacifiers of babies.

What are the symptoms of botulism

The disease develops rapidly, so the first symptoms can be skipped. Typically, signs of poisoning appear 12 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. However, depending on the number of microbes, they can develop in the period from 4 hours to 8 days.

At first, the symptoms are blurred, but there is one characteristic.

If your vision has deteriorated sharply - you see double vision, the world around you seems to be drowned in fog - and at the same time you recently ate canned food or dried fish, urgently call an ambulance.

Vision changes are one of the earliest signs of botulism. He is accompanied or a little later joined by others:

• dizziness;
• severe muscle weakness;
• dry mouth;
• trouble swallowing;
• feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath;
• deterioration of speech - it becomes indistinct;
• slight (not to fever!) increase in temperature;
• drooping of the eyelids - both or one;
• nausea, vomiting;
• diarrhea or constipation, bloating.

What to do if botulism is suspected

Call an ambulance immediately. The most dangerous complications of botulism are respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. The disease develops unpredictably, and at what point the patient stops breathing, for example, it is impossible to foresee. Therefore, all people with suspected botulism are necessarily hospitalized in a hospital.

Please note: the earlier you start treatment, the higher the chances of avoiding complications, and of surviving in general.

If you have eaten canned food or other potentially hazardous foods shortly before your symptoms, be sure to tell your healthcare provider.

It can be difficult to make a correct diagnosis Botulism: A diagnostic challenge, because the symptoms of botulism are similar to those of some other diseases - stroke, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome. Therefore, information about what you ate can be critical.

If doctors remain suspicious, they will prescribe a series of tests. These may include:

• Laboratory tests. We are talking about blood tests, urine, feces, vomit, gastric lavage to identify botulinum toxin in them.
• Electromyography. This is a study of the conduction of nerve fibers in muscle tissue to find out how paralyzed they are.
• Cerebrospinal fluid studies.
• Brain scan.

How to treat botulism

Only in a hospital setting - home treatment is deadly. This is what doctors do. All events are carried out quickly, if possible even simultaneously.

1. Restore breathing

If necessary, the infected person is connected to a ventilator.

2. Cleanse the body of toxins

In the case of food poisoning, the patient is washed the stomach and given enemas. When it comes to wound botulism, the surgeon can excise the wound along with the surrounding tissue.

3. Introduce antitoxic serum

It binds to a toxin that is already circulating in the blood and has accumulated in the nerve tissue, and prevents it from further damaging the nerves.

The bad news is that serum cannot repair the damage already done by the poison. If it is great, it is impossible to save a person.

The good news is that nerves are recovering. Many people recover completely, but it can take months of rehabilitation therapy - you have to re-learn how to speak, swallow, breathe, and walk.

4. Antibiotics are prescribed for wound botulism

But here it is important to take into account that antibiotics are categorically contraindicated in other types of disease. They can speed up the release of toxin by bacteria.

How to avoid getting botulism

The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Prevention to comply with the following safety guidelines.

1. Be careful with food

• Check the expiration date of purchased canned food. Do not eat them if the jar is swollen.
• If you canning fruits, vegetables, meat, fish at home, wash them thoroughly and sterilize the jars.
• Do not eat dried, smoked, salted fish if there is no confirmation of the quality of its processing.
• Eliminate homemade sausages and smoked meats from your diet if you are not sure that they are properly cooked.

2. Do not give honey to babies under 12 months old

For children from one year and older, this product is already safe.

3. Wash the resulting wounds immediately after they appear

It is best to do this with soap and water. Be careful.