Re: [CH] News item
Mary-Anne Durkee (shantihhh@yahoo.com)
Mon, 3 Feb 2003 16:11:50 -0800 (PST)
Riley
I also survived botulism in Spain when I was 18, but
barely.....maybe that is when I started craving fiery
chiles!
<VBEG>
Mary-Anne
--- "Riley J. McIntire" <Riley@ChileGarden.com> wrote:
> Hi Pods,
>
> At the risk of starting another botulism debate,
> this might interest some
> who recently commented on producing and storing
> chile oils.
>
> Remember that lightning is much more likely to cause
> fatality than botulism,
> and the victim here survived.
>
> Hot regards,
>
> Riley
>
> PS Rael, thanks for another pithy sig--you are a
> fount, my man!
>
> Where there are too many policemen, there is
> no liberty. Where there are too many soldiers,
> there is no peace. Where there are too many
> lawyers, there is no justice.
> -Lin Yutang-
>
>
> Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 10:15:41 -0500 (EST)
> From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu>
> Subject: PRO/EDR> Botulism, bottled garlic - Denmark
>
> BOTULISM, BOTTLED GARLIC - DENMARK
> ***************************************
> A ProMED-mail post
> <http://www.promedmail.org>
> ProMED-mail, a program of the
> International Society for Infectious Diseases
> <http://www.isid.org>
>
> Date: 30 Jan 2003
> From: Lars Krusell <LAKR.aarhus@fdir.dk>
> Source: Official release, Regional Food Control
> Authority, Aarhus,
> Denmark [edited]
>
>
> Human botulism, Denmark. Garlic in a chili-oil
> dressing produced in
> Germany.
> - -----------
> A healthy 38-year-old male was [taken ill with]
> botulism after
> ingestion of approximately 4 buds of ready-to-eat
> garlic in a chili-oil
> dressing. The product was manufactured by
> Konservenfabrik
> Zachow in Germany for Dansk Supermarked, a major
> Danish
> supermarket chain, and was sold in Denmark only.
>
> The specific lot of 18 118 glass jars of 280 g each
> was produced on
> 19 Feb 2002 and labeled "Hvidlog i chiliolie, Bon
> Appetit" and "Best
> before 19 Feb 2004". The product was sold as shelf
> staple at room
> temperature, to be refrigerated after opening. The
> specific lot has
> been withdrawn from the market.
>
> Microscopy of the product revealed no typical
> clostridia. A pH of 4.7
> was measured. Analysis of extract by mouse assay
> showed
> _Clostridium botulinum_ type B toxin and culturing
> yielded growth of
> _Cl. botulinum_. Later one unopened jar from the
> incriminated lot
> and jars from 2 other lots tested negative for
> toxin.
>
> German and Danish authorities are working to
> determine conditions
> for safe production and marketing of the product.
> German
> authorities have reported that upon production of
> the lot, 134 jars
> were rejected due to bulges [presumably in the metal
> lids. -
> Mod.JW]. The manufacturer did not take any action to
> determine
> the exact cause of this. The lot was subject to heat
> treatment
> reaching center temperatures of 83-85 degrees C for
> some minutes.
> [Inadequate -- see comment at end].
>
> Human botulism is rare in Denmark. The typical
> patient presents
> with nausea, dryness of mouth, dilated pupils, and
> symmetric
> pareses, initially involving the face, later
> progressing to the
> respiratory muscles, in severe cases requiring
> mechanical
> ventilation. There is no fever or sensory deficit.
>
> This patient had a mild course of the disease, with
> an atypical
> presentation of unilateral paresis and rapid
> recovery. The first
> symptom was nausea and abdominal cramps. The next
> day he
> developed double vision, photophobia, dryness of
> mouth, dysarthria,
> and unilateral paresis of the 7th and 12th cranial
> nerves. He was
> treated with antitoxin and showed clinical
> improvement already one
> week later.
>
> This case of botulism illustrates the need to be
> alert and not to rule
> out botulism even in widely distributed convenience
> foods in
> developed countries. It is, furthermore, a reminder
> to manufacturers
> and authorities to be [careful], even today, that
> the conditions of
> production safeguard against growth of _Clostridium
> botulinum_.
>
> - --
> Lars Krusell
> Food Scientist
> Regional Food Control Authority, Aarhus, Denmark
> <LAKR.aarhus@fdir.dk>
>
> [Botulism results from intoxication, not infection.
> The toxin is
> inactivated by heating to 100 degrees C for 10
> minutes. Handling
> uncooked food can result in absorption of toxin
> through broken skin.
> - - Mod.TG]
>
> [see also:
> Botulism, whale blubber, 2002 - USA (Alaska)
> 20030117.0142
> 2002
> - -----
> Botulism, blue cheese - Canada (Quebec): recall
> 20021213.6055
> Botulism, gefilte fish - Canada: recall
> 20020510.4153
> Botulism, type A, foodborne - South Africa (Gauteng)
> 20020305.3689
> Botulism, canned asparagus - USA: Recall
> 20020209.3521
> Botulism, canned clams - USA (Northeast): recall
> 20020112.3233
> 2001
> - ----
> Botulism, baby formula - UK, Ireland: recall
> 20010814.1919
> Botulism, bread products - Canada: recall
> 20011031.2685
> Botulism, canned organic beans - Canada: recall
> 20011115.2812
> Botulism, chili - USA (Texas): recall 20010904.2116
> Botulism advisory, beef jerky - Canada (N.S.):
> recall 20010217.0313
> 2000
> ----
> Botulism, foodborne - Russia 1999 20000229.0277
> 1999
> - ----
> Botulism advisory - Canada, USA 19990115.0054
> Botulism advisory - Canada, USA: background
> 19990117.0071
> Botulism, human - Russia (Burjatija)
> 19990907.1576]
> 1998
> - ----
> Botulism, human - Algeria 19980723.1393
> Botulism, human - Japan (Tokyo) 19980816.1632
> Botulism, risk from packaged vegetables: RFI
> 19980813.1600]
> ..........................tg/pg/jw
>
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