Botulin intoxication, victims and hospitalizations in Calabria and Sardinia. How botulism is manifested and what are the most at risk foods

Two victims in 24 hours. The first is a 52 -year -old man who died in Calabria after consuming a sandwich with broccoli contaminated in diamond, the second, a 38 -year -old woman hospitalized in Cagliari after eating Guacamole at the Latin Fiesta di Monserrato. Botulin intoxication was fatal in both cases, but there are also nine people hospitalized in Calabria, including two 17 -year -olds in intensive care, and eight others in Sardinia, including an 11 -year -old boy in stable but serious conditions.

Botulism, what is it about?

Botulism is asevere food poisoning which requires a timely treatment with antitoxine. In fact, the toxins of the clostrides, microorganisms that can be found, mainly in the form of spora, in foods, but also in multiple environments such as soil, marine and lake sediments, atmospheric pulviscolo.

How botulinum poisoning is manifested

After the consumption of a contaminated food, i Symptoms appear on average within 24-72 hours: The more early the appearance of the more severe symptoms will be the disease.
In general – as an in -depth analysis explains on the website of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità – The manifestations can vary from mild forms, which self-recovery, to very severe shapes that can have a fatal outcome. The most common symptoms are:

• Amazing and splitting of the vision
• dilation of the pupils
• Difficulty keeping the eyelids open
• Difficulty in the articulation of the word
• Difficulty swallowing
• dryness of the mouth and jaws
• constipation.

In many cases, urinary retention also appears, while in the most serious forms there is a respiratory insufficiency that can have a fatal outcome, since caused by the blocking of nervous conduction to the muscles responsible for breathing.

How to intervene

If the diagnosis is timely, the disease is totally resolved in times that may vary from a few weeks to several months. Specific therapy consists in the administration of a hyperimmune serum. This botulinic antitoxine serum, distributed by the Ministry of Health through the National Antidotes Skit network, must be administered as soon as possible, without waiting for the results of the laboratory diagnosis and in the controlled environment. Therefore the patient with botulism requires hospitalization, possibly in intensive care.

Foods at risk of botulinum toxin

When is a food product at risk of botulism? When inside the spores of the clostrides, producers of botulinum toxins, can find the conditions for developing botulinum toxins, in fact, are produced during the multiplication of the microorganism. Since one of the essential conditions for the spores are able to develop is the absence of oxygenfresh foods, such as salad, bread or pasta, are not at risk of botulism. Instead, the preserver and the semi-cooler non-acidic or who have not undergone acidification/fermentation treatments.

Industrial production preserves are generally not dangerous because production technologies are well standardized and allow the control of development and toxingenis of the clostrided botulinum toxins producers. The preserves made in the home are more dangerous Because they are often carried out following recipes handed down over time and revisited to reduce the quantity of protective agents (primarily a vinegar and salt), without any scientific foundation.

In Italy, the domestic production foods that are most responsible for the cases of botulism are the black olives in brinethe mushroom preserves in oilthe Tops of turnip greensthe preserves of meat and fish (especially tuna).

To correctly prepare food preserves in the home, you can consult The guidelines drawn up by the National Reference Center for the Botulism of ISS In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the University of Teramo and the Antivileni Center of Pavia.

Furthermore, the use of containers for the conservation of vacuum foods is widespread. They are very useful, however they can hide pitfalls if the stored foods are not kept in the refrigerator. In the event that they are used for the conservation of foods to take to the workplace for lunch, they should be transported (especially in summer) inside the thermal bags cooled with the “Siberini” and then placed in the refrigerator until the moment of use.