Status of Botulism in the United States: Review

Abstract

United States in 1963, the year of the Michi¬ gan outbreak from canned tuna fish, heightened the keen and continuing interest of the Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Adminis¬ tration, other Federal agencies, and industry in control and suppression of this disease. EpidemiologyMeyer, in his classic review on food poison¬ ing, says of botulism (1) : "This is a specific intoxication with toxins of Glostridium botulirmm or parabotulinum. The five serotypes, A, B, C, D, and E, exist in nature as sporulating saprophytes and grow freely in a great variety of inadequately preserved animal or plant foods. During resultant spoilage a powerful toxin is formed and, on ingestion, is absorbed, ultimately inducing some changes in the motornerve terminals at the neuromuscular junction; acetylcholine output is diminished, with effects resembling denervation. The name botulism (from botuhis, sausage) has, at least in the United States, lost its significance, since animal products play a subordinate role here. Most outbreaks are caused by inadequately preserved, understerilized plant products. . . . "Up to 1925, oommercially canned foods manufactured in the United States were at fault in Mr. Osheroff is program analysis officer,

Radiation Sterilization of Prototype Military Foods

“…Instead, they are given a sublethal Fo of only 0.1 to 0.6 (18,20,24,37) with a median value of 0.2 (20). Yet, these thermally underprocessed foods have a perfect public safety record (32). The reasons for this enviable health record are at least a Numbers refer to references in the Literature Cited section.…”

Bacterial Contamination of Mortadella in Three Palestinian Factories

“…Cl. botulinum, causes food intoxication while other Clostridium members were reported as food poisoning microorganisms (Sheroff et al, 1964 andShapiro, 1998).…”

Clostridium botulinum in the Gulf of Thailand

“…A high degree of incidence of C. botulinum, especially types A and B, has also been reported under tropical conditions (15). In the United States, an extensive survey of C. botulinum type E in the fish of Lakes Erie, Huron, Superior, and Michigan was made after several type E botulism outbreaks in 1960 and 1963 (13). The organism was found in the digestive tracts of fish from all of the lakes, with incidences ranging from 1 to 9% (2).…”