FAQ - botulism
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botulism?????????


oh man did i ever screw up! last night i grabbed a can of tomato stuff(rotel) out of the fridge that had already been opened and ate it. after a little while i started getting this metallic taste in my mouth and getting kind of ill, but not throwing up. today my throat is really sore and i feel weak. anybody, alittle help would be appreciated here, thanks....i knew it was stupid when i did it.
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if you are sure that it is not botulism then just drink a lot of water to wash whatever it is-out.

if you think is is worst than just that...go to the hospital. :-)

ps---please don't die  (+ info)

Botulism...?


....is it food infection or intoxication? I cannot really distinguish between the two.
Help pls.
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Botulism is a rare, but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, botulin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinic toxin is one of the most powerful known toxins: about one microgram is lethal to humans. It acts by blocking nerve function and leads to respiratory and musculoskeletal paralysis.

There are three main kinds of botulism:

Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum toxin.
Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin.
Wound botulism is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. This is the rarest type of botulism.  (+ info)

Since botulism can't grow in high acid foods what makes improperly canned low pH foods dangerous?


Canning rules don't always make sense to me. I recognize that botulism is a real danger when preserving low acid foods but I don't understand why one has to be so particular about canning high acid foods. It seems to me that if your food spoilt the seal would break or it would smell off and you wouldn't eat it. Even if you did eat some rotton food before it became obvious why would it be more dangerous then eating almost rotten food from your fridge? I'd particularly appreciate if you could quote a source or specific scientific facts.
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Botulism isn't the only thing that can grow in canned food. I think it would be bad to ear rotten food from a can OR from your fridge. But while a lot of contaminants can make you sick to your stomach, only a few are a risk to kill you.

The thing that makes canned food particularly dangerous is that it sits a long time, and has no air in it. Botulism is a risk because it is an obligate anaerobe - that is it can only grow in the absense of oxygen, so a canned, low acid food is ideal for it. What hurts you with botulism is the toxin produced by the bacteria, not the bug itself. Since canned food sits a long time, any botuinum growing in it can have a chance to make enough toxin to kill you.  (+ info)

Is it true that putting silverware in the freezer can cause botulism?


I've always left the spoon in my half eaten milkshake or smoothie and stuck it in the freezer for later. My mother-in-law and hubby now keep telling me that doing so can cause Botulism. Anyone else ever heard of this?
Thanks!
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Botulism from a freezer? Never heard of such a thing. Perhaps they just dont like you doing it (the spoon in half eaten stuff) so concocted something "scary" for you to stop.  (+ info)

How worried should I be about Botulism when making Chilli Oil?


I've made some Chilli oil by placing some dried chillis and black peppercorns in extra virgin olive oil in a glass bottle. I've read alot on the web about the potensial Botulism from homemade oils like this. I am just wondering if this is a serious risk and if there are any ways to prevent this?

Should i throw away my current homemade chilli oil?
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I am a former chef and have for years made my own chili oils and other herb, garlic based ones, botulism is only present if there was bacteria present in the beginning, what I do is add some salt and I buy a small container of citric acid from the drug store, add a very little of this as it is sour, for a litre of oil I use a 1/8 teaspoon or a 1/2 a quarter one. I also warm the oil for 5 minutes not hot but warm enough to extract all the flavour, I use dried chili's and fresh ones, if you heat the oil and add the 2 other things I mentioned there is no chance of botulism, it is found in canned food that were not processed right, mostly mushrooms.  (+ info)

Can you get botulism from jam?


I canned some strawberry rhubarb jam about a month ago, it sealed perfectly but I just had some 12 hours ago and now I am really scared I will get botulism. Is it even possible to get it with jam?
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yes, you can get it from jam.......but if the jars were sterilized properly (or kept frozen), then you'll be fine......  (+ info)

is it possible for botulism to be in a previously unopened container of refrigerated processed pudding?


Something icky is in my pudding. There is a weird smell and bubbles in it. It is an unexpired, previously unopened plastic tub of processed chocolate pudding. Is it botulism?
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Don't know about botulism, but it is something you need to return and get your money back, as it is bad, bad, bad. YUCK

make sure you get the lot number and dates too, just in case your neighbors have purchased the same things,

And now, a question for you. Don't you just hate it when you purchase new milk, and you take a big swig, and you have to spit it out???  (+ info)

Where can I find current case studies on Botulism?


Have a College class, Microbiology, and have to give a reoprt on Botulism based on a case study. Any suggestion on where to look to get current information?
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Try this site:  (+ info)

What is the difference between infant and adult botulism?


Explain the difference between infant and adult botulism.
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Botulism is a very serious condition caused by ingestion of the toxin produced by Clostridium botulani, a bacteria that lives in low oxygen environments. Chief sources are wounds and improperly canned (home canned) foods where the heat resistant spores develop into the "adult" toxin-producing bacteria. It is ingestion of toxin that produces poisoning. The bacteria and spores themselves are destroyed by an adult digestive tract.

Shortly after ingestion of the toxin, adults develop difficulty spallowing, speaking, facial weakness, double vision, breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, cramps, paralysis, and if untreated, death. IV drug users get the disease from contaminated wounds.

Infants develop botulism from the ingestion of spores. These are not destroyed by their digestive tracts, and mature, toxin-producing bacteria grow in the infant's intestine. Honey is a prime source of spores of Clostridium botulini, hence the recommendation not to give honey to infants under two years old.

Poisoning in infants usually develops slowly, manifest by constipation, poor mucsle tone, drowsiness, droopy eyelids, and poor sucking. Paralysis and death have been reported, but many cases are recognized in time.  (+ info)

How many hours can I soak garlic in olive oil before I'm risking botulism infection?


I'm usually soaking chopped garlic in a cup of olive oil for an hour or so before dipping. I was quite shocked to come across a bunch of websites where people warn against doing it as you can literally drop dead from botulism infection. Do they exaggerate?
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I am a former chef and we made garlic oil by warming the oil, adding a far amount of chopped garlic, and let it steep for hours, the toxins are things that happen over a longer time, I make my garlic butter with fresh garlic also.  (+ info)

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