Remarkable Botulism — the Putin of Food Pathogens
I have a ghoulish fascination with Clostridium botulinum…
Botulism — a deadly foodborne illness — made an unexpected appearance in plant-based milk last month. And it sent a chill through the food safety community.
Botulism is deadly
Botulism is possibly the scariest food-borne illness there is. And I for one would NOT want to get it.
Here’s what happens to you if you are unlucky enough to eat food that contains the toxin that causes botulism, botulinum toxin.
A few hours to a few days after eating heavily contaminated food you start experiencing neurological symptoms that include blurred vision, difficulty speaking and swallowing, then paralysis. If you don’t get medical help quickly the toxin paralyses your heart and lungs and you experience respiratory failure and then death (source).
The friend of a victim described the final two months of his life before he succumbed to the disease as follows: “He could not move, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t breathe, but he was conscious and aware and could understand and somewhat able to communicate,” (source)
The good news is that there are antitoxins and in the United States, the fatality rate is around five percent…
