[CH] News item
Riley J. McIntire (Riley@ChileGarden.com)
Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:46:14 -0800
Hi Pods,
At the risk of starting another botulism debate, this might interest some
who recently commented on producing and storing chile oils.
Remember that lightning is much more likely to cause fatality than botulism,
and the victim here survived.
Hot regards,
Riley
PS Rael, thanks for another pithy sig--you are a fount, my man!
Where there are too many policemen, there is
no liberty. Where there are too many soldiers,
there is no peace. Where there are too many
lawyers, there is no justice.
-Lin Yutang-
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 10:15:41 -0500 (EST)
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu>
Subject: PRO/EDR> Botulism, bottled garlic - Denmark
BOTULISM, BOTTLED GARLIC - DENMARK
***************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail, a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 30 Jan 2003
From: Lars Krusell <LAKR.aarhus@fdir.dk>
Source: Official release, Regional Food Control Authority, Aarhus,
Denmark [edited]
Human botulism, Denmark. Garlic in a chili-oil dressing produced in
Germany.
- -----------
A healthy 38-year-old male was [taken ill with] botulism after
ingestion of approximately 4 buds of ready-to-eat garlic in a chili-oil
dressing. The product was manufactured by Konservenfabrik
Zachow in Germany for Dansk Supermarked, a major Danish
supermarket chain, and was sold in Denmark only.
The specific lot of 18 118 glass jars of 280 g each was produced on
19 Feb 2002 and labeled "Hvidlog i chiliolie, Bon Appetit" and "Best
before 19 Feb 2004". The product was sold as shelf staple at room
temperature, to be refrigerated after opening. The specific lot has
been withdrawn from the market.
Microscopy of the product revealed no typical clostridia. A pH of 4.7
was measured. Analysis of extract by mouse assay showed
_Clostridium botulinum_ type B toxin and culturing yielded growth of
_Cl. botulinum_. Later one unopened jar from the incriminated lot
and jars from 2 other lots tested negative for toxin.
German and Danish authorities are working to determine conditions
for safe production and marketing of the product. German
authorities have reported that upon production of the lot, 134 jars
were rejected due to bulges [presumably in the metal lids. -
Mod.JW]. The manufacturer did not take any action to determine
the exact cause of this. The lot was subject to heat treatment
reaching center temperatures of 83-85 degrees C for some minutes.
[Inadequate -- see comment at end].
Human botulism is rare in Denmark. The typical patient presents
with nausea, dryness of mouth, dilated pupils, and symmetric
pareses, initially involving the face, later progressing to the
respiratory muscles, in severe cases requiring mechanical
ventilation. There is no fever or sensory deficit.
This patient had a mild course of the disease, with an atypical
presentation of unilateral paresis and rapid recovery. The first
symptom was nausea and abdominal cramps. The next day he
developed double vision, photophobia, dryness of mouth, dysarthria,
and unilateral paresis of the 7th and 12th cranial nerves. He was
treated with antitoxin and showed clinical improvement already one
week later.
This case of botulism illustrates the need to be alert and not to rule
out botulism even in widely distributed convenience foods in
developed countries. It is, furthermore, a reminder to manufacturers
and authorities to be [careful], even today, that the conditions of
production safeguard against growth of _Clostridium botulinum_.
- --
Lars Krusell
Food Scientist
Regional Food Control Authority, Aarhus, Denmark
<LAKR.aarhus@fdir.dk>
[Botulism results from intoxication, not infection. The toxin is
inactivated by heating to 100 degrees C for 10 minutes. Handling
uncooked food can result in absorption of toxin through broken skin.
- - Mod.TG]
[see also:
Botulism, whale blubber, 2002 - USA (Alaska) 20030117.0142
2002
- -----
Botulism, blue cheese - Canada (Quebec): recall 20021213.6055
Botulism, gefilte fish - Canada: recall 20020510.4153
Botulism, type A, foodborne - South Africa (Gauteng)
20020305.3689
Botulism, canned asparagus - USA: Recall 20020209.3521
Botulism, canned clams - USA (Northeast): recall 20020112.3233
2001
- ----
Botulism, baby formula - UK, Ireland: recall 20010814.1919
Botulism, bread products - Canada: recall 20011031.2685
Botulism, canned organic beans - Canada: recall 20011115.2812
Botulism, chili - USA (Texas): recall 20010904.2116
Botulism advisory, beef jerky - Canada (N.S.): recall 20010217.0313
2000
----
Botulism, foodborne - Russia 1999 20000229.0277
1999
- ----
Botulism advisory - Canada, USA 19990115.0054
Botulism advisory - Canada, USA: background 19990117.0071
Botulism, human - Russia (Burjatija) 19990907.1576]
1998
- ----
Botulism, human - Algeria 19980723.1393
Botulism, human - Japan (Tokyo) 19980816.1632
Botulism, risk from packaged vegetables: RFI 19980813.1600]
..........................tg/pg/jw