Botulism
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What is botulism?
Botulism is a rare but serious illness. Each year, U.S. health care providers report an average of 110 cases of food, infant, and wound botulism to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 10 to 30 outbreaks of foodborne botulism are reported annually. Although this illness does not occur frequently, it can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly. This fact sheet will focus on botulism caused by eating contaminated food.
Infectious diseases spread through food or beverages are a common, distressing, and sometimes life-threatening problem for millions of people in the United States and around the world. CDC estimates 76 million people suffer foodborne illnesses each year in the United States, accounting for 325,000 hospitalizations and more than 5,000 deaths.
Foodborne disease is extremely costly. Health experts estimate that the yearly cost of all foodborne diseases in this country is 5 to 6 billion dollars in direct medical expenses and lost productivity.
There are more than 250 known foodborne diseases. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Natural and manufactured chemicals in food products also can make people sick. Some diseases are caused by toxins (poisons) from the disease-causing microbe (germ), others by the human body's reactions to the microbe itself.
To better understand the epidemiology (study of disease origin and spread) of foodborne diseases in the United States, 10 states across the country are collecting annual data on the occurrence of new cases of the most common causes of bacterial and parasitic infections through the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, a CDC-sponsored program known as FoodNet (www.cdc.gov/foodnet).
Recently, public health, agriculture, and environmental officials have expressed growing concern about keeping the nation's food and water supply safe from terrorist acts. A number of U.S. agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, CDC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are studying this bioterrorism threat.
What causes botulism?
Botulism is caused by toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This toxin affects your nerves and, if untreated, can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. C. botulinum toxin is one of the most powerful toxins known in nature. Exposure to the toxin, particularly in an aerosolized (spray) form, can be fatal. C. botulinum has been made into weapons by rogue states and is a focus of current efforts to counter bioterrorism.
How is botulism transmitted?
Often, cases of foodborne botulism come from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets, and corn. C. botulinum is anaerobic, which means it can survive and grow with little or no oxygen. Therefore, it can live very well in sealed containers. Outbreaks of the infection, however, are often from more unusual sources such as chili peppers, tomatoes, and improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil.
What are the symptoms of botulism?
* Double vision and drooping eyelids
* Slurred speech
* Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing
* Weak muscles
Symptoms of foodborne botulism usually begin within 18 to 36 hours after you eat contaminated food, but can occur in as few as 6 hours or as much as 10 days afterward.
How is botulism diagnosed?
A health care provider can use laboratory tests to identify C. botulinum toxin in your blood or stool if you are infected.
What are botulism treatment options?
If you are diagnosed early, your health care provider can treat foodborne botulism successfully with an antitoxin that blocks the action of the bacterial toxin circulating in your blood. Although antitoxin keeps the disease from becoming worse, it will still take many weeks before you recover. Your health care provider may try to remove any contaminated food still in your gut by making you vomit or by giving you an enema.
How do you prevent botulism?
* Follow strict hygienic steps when home canning.
* Refrigerate oils containing garlic or herbs.
* Keep baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil either hot until served or refrigerated.
* Consider boiling home-canned food before eating it to kill any bacteria lurking in the food.
What are the complications of botulism?
If left untreated, this illness can cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk, and the muscles that help you breathe. The paralysis usually improves slowly over several weeks. People who develop severe botulism experience breathing failure and paralysis and need to be put on ventilators (breathing machines).
Source: National Institutes of Health
Emergent BioSolutions Submits to FDA Development Plan Required of Bidders in Competitive Range for Recombinant Anthrax Vaccine rPA Contract with HHS
2009 MAY 25 - (NewsRx.com) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a Development Plan for the company’s Recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine candidate. Emergent submitted the Development Plan ahead of the June 15 deadline in response to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) amendment to its request for proposal to develop and deliver up to 25 million doses of an rPA vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile. The amendment requested that all bidders deemed to be in the competitive range submit to FDA a comprehensive plan outlining the regulatory strategy for their rPA vaccine. “We are pleased to successfully meet this HHS requirement ahead of schedule and look forward to receiving comments and guidance from the FDA,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “As the premier supplier of medical countermeasures to the U.S. government, we are fully committed to moving our rPA program forward and remain optimistic of our competitiveness to receive any award granted by HHS to develop and supply the Strategic National Stockpile with an rPA vaccine.” About Emergent BioSolutions Inc. Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and therapeutics that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax. Emergent’s development pipeline includes programs focused on anthrax, botulism, tuberculosis, typhoid, hepatitis B and chlamydia. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including the timing of, and the potential for successful outcomes resulting from future product development efforts and our ability to obtain additional funding from the U.S. government, our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; and other factors identified in the company's current report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2009 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release. Keywords: Anthrax Vaccines, Biopharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Drug Development, Drugs, FDA, Immunization, Pharmaceuticals, Regulatory Actions, Therapies, Therapy, Treatment, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Vaccination, Emergent BioSolutions Inc. This article was prepared by Biotech Business Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Biotech Business Week via NewsRx.com.
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