Research Paper on "Pros' and Con's of Botulism or Clostridium Botulinum"

Research Paper 6 pages (1941 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Botulism is a disease that is considered rare and it is caused by "extremely potent toxins" that appear in foods humans eat, according to the Journal of Environmental Health. Botulism toxins are actually produced by Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium, and while certain types of botulism are dangerous to humans, botulism is not transmitted from person-to-person, so it is incapable of being spread like other diseases. This paper covers the seven types of botulism and includes information regarding the benefits that are derived from botulinum toxin.

The Literature on Botulism -- General Information

The Journal of Environmental Health (2003, p. 51) explains that of the seven specific types of botulism, four -- types A, B, E, and on rare occasions, F -- cause botulism in humans. The other three (Types C, D, and E) are linked to disease in fish, birds and mammals. It should be understood that the symptoms from botulism are derived from the toxin inside the organism, and it generally takes between 12 to 16 hours for the person to be hit with the illness. How many people actually die from botulism?

The Journal of Environmental Health says just five to ten percent of the cases of botulism result in death. But for the average botulism attack on a human, it would be a matter of initially feeling fatigue, feeling weak, having "blurred vision" and "vertigo" and experiencing difficulty in speaking and swallowing. There are other negative experiences when humans are attacked by botulism; the sufferer may experience "…Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal swelling" (Journal of Environmental Health, 51)).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that in Foodborne botulism the muscle weakness a person experiences begins with the shoulders, then moves to the upper arms, then the lower arms following by the person's thighs, and calves (CDC, 2006).

Of the seven types of botulism presented by the Journal of Environmental Health (JEH) one of the most commonly experienced is "Foodborne botulism." This kind of botulism occurs (in most cases) when food is eaten that has not been cooked sufficiently. The organism "Clostridiwn bowlintim" grows in certain foods when there is a lack of oxygen and the temperature that is used in storage for the food is not properly controlled (JEH, p. 51). Typically the foods that become contaminated with Clostridiwn bowlintim include: a) "lightly preserved foods" like "…fermented, salted, or smoked fish or meat products"; b) inadequately processed "home-canned or home-bottled low-acid foods" like vegetables; c) toxins related to botulism are sometimes located in preserved green beans, mushrooms, beets and spinach; d) botulism can be found in fish products (like canned tuna, salted, smoked or fermented fish like smoked salmon); e) certain canned meat products are known to be sources of botulism (sausages, chicken and ham) (JEH, 51).

There are a number of conditions under which the Clostridiwn bowlintim can thrive, but in most cases that toxin can be eliminated in food through the normal cooking process (using temperatures around 85 degrees Celsius for at least five minutes, or boiling in a hard boil for three or four minutes) (JEH, 51).

The second kind of botulism is "inhalation botulism," which is taken in because the toxin is in aerosol form; the symptoms are very similar to Foodborne botulism, except that the process of incubation is generally longer (JEH, 51). "Waterborne botulism" (the third kind of botulism) occurs when the individual drinks water that contains the toxin Clostridiwn bowlintim albeit this kind of botulism is not very common. In rare instances, patients have contracted botulism through cosmetics or medical applications (the fourth kind of botulism) (JEH, 52).

Infant botulism is very rare but it happens with "infants ingest spores, which germinate and produce bacteria" that grows in the stomach of the child and then the toxin is released into the child's body (JEH, 52). What happens physically to the child? The JEH article suggests that in general it's not too serious for the child; it can cause a loss of appetite, an unusual baby cry, constipation, and in some cases "…a striking loss of head control" (JEH, 52). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that infant botulism only occurs "…in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract" (CDC, 2006).

The sixth kind of botulism referenced by JEH is "Botulism of undetermined origin," which does not result from food or wounds and may in fact result from surgery or from antibiotics, when the "normal gut flora have been altered" (52). The seventh kind of botulism is "Wound botulism" (the seventh mentioned by JEH) is quite rare but occurs when there is an open wound and certain spores get into that would; it may take nearly two weeks for the actual symptoms to occur, and those symptoms are similar to what a person suffers with Foodborne botulism (JEH, 52).

The best way to prevent botulism is to practice good food preservation methods, since the most common type of botulism is through Foodborne contamination. Pasteurizing products should be enough to prevent botulism but the JEH article explains that sometimes there are some Clostridium botulintim spores that remain even after sterilization.

Botulism -- What can Go Wrong

In Thailand and other Asian countries, citizens are known to use bamboo shoots in their meals, which in fact is a staple in the diet of many individuals. Indeed, bamboo shoots -- the juvenile shoots in particular -- have been a "traditional forest vegetable in China for more than 2,500 years" -- and the young tender shoots of bamboo "…are not only delicious but are rich in nutrient components, mainly proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and fiber" (Chongtham, et al., 2011, p. 153). Most bamboo shoots are "free from residual toxicity" and they do not need fertilizers to grow, Chongtham explains. There are health benefits that go along with the consumption of bamboo shoots, and those include: a) improved appetite and digestion; b) weight loss; and c) helping to cure "…cardiovascular diseases and cancer" (Chongtham, 153). In fact the shoots from the bamboo plant are known to have "anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral" properties (Chongtham, 153). The fiber from the bamboo shoot is used in cookies, breakfast cereals, sauces, shredded cheeses and in some meat products, Chongtham explains (153).

But when preserving the bamboo shoots through home canning, the proper amount of heat for the required number of minutes must be followed perfectly or botulism can result. In March of 2006, there was an annual religious rite held in a small village in Thailand and bamboo shoots were served "…without heating in small plastic bags for lunch" (Aldis, et al., 2007, p. 238). The results were very serious as some 209 of the villagers that had attended the religious ceremonies "…had the onset of symptoms compatible with botulism" (Aldis, 238).

Sixty-four percent of the 209 villages (134 villagers) were actually hospitalized "…with paralysis" that ranged from "minor bulbar palsies to quadraparesis," Aldis explains (238). No one died from the botulism but forty-two of the villagers (20%) needed "mechanical ventilation for respiratory depression" (Aldis, 238). A public emergency was declared the next day, March 16, by the authorities in the province, and once it was certain that botulism poisoning caused the sicknesses, a search was launched in order to locate Botulinum antitoxin.

As three days went by, nineteen patients were put on ventilators; and after six days passed a total of 39 patients needed ventilators. Getting the antitoxin "was difficult,' Aldis reported on page 238. Public health agencies in the UK, in the U.S., in Geneva, Japan and Bangkok were contacted, but the agencies that ultimately provided the antitoxin to treat the patients in Thailand included the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, the National Laboratory in London, and the NIID in Tokyo (Aldis, 238). The CDC and the two other sources sent 93 vials of the antitoxin to Thailand, and a commercial source in Canada provided another 10 vials, Aldis continues on page 239.

The time it took to obtain the antitoxin meant that the most severe cases in Thailand were not treated with the antitoxin until five days after they became seriously ill. By the ninth day after exposure to the bamboo shoots seventy more patients were treated.

The authors' salient points in this report are presented through five main points: a) every country should have adequate health service infrastructures; b) there need to be good systems of communication between countries and their health-related agencies; delays in obtaining life-saving medical supplies can cause deaths; c) "stockpiles of medications, equipment and supplies with clear procedures for release and transport" must be established in Asia and elsewhere; d) the World Health Organization (WHO) must always be notified immediately when there is a health crisis like an outbreak of botulism and the "International Health Regulations" should be revised for more collaboration between nations; and e) the international response to emergencies involving the health of the public must be approached as "foreign policy as well… READ MORE

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