Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a bacterium which occurs in soil. It produces a toxin that affects your nerves. Foodborne botulism comes from eating foods contaminated with the toxin.

Sources
  • Infants: Honey, home-canned vegetables and fruits, corn syrup
  • Children and adults: Home-canned foods with a low acid content, improperly canned commercial foods, home-canned or fermented fish, herb-infused oils, baked potatoes in aluminum foil, cheese sauce, bottled garlic, foods held warm for extended periods of time

Incubation Period
  • Infants: 3-30 days
  • Children and adults: 12-72 hours

Symptoms
  • Infants: Lethargy, weakness, poor feeding, constipation, poor head control, poor gag and sucking reflex
  • Children and adults: Double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness

Duration of Illness

Variable

What Do I Do?

Botulism is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of botulism, contact your doctor immediately.

Originally published on http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/botulism.html  Foodconsumer.org is not affiliated with any government agency.