1/5. botulism with respiratory insufficiency requiring extra corporeal carbon dioxide removal.Despite a low incidence of botulism in the industrialized world some cases occasionally occur in germany after eating contaminated food. Because botulism is rarely seen, most physicians are unfamiliar with its early recognition and treatment. However, immediate intensive care treatment is important. We report the case of a previously healthy 54-year-old female who developed signs of botulism after eating vacuum packed smoked fish and developed severe respiratory insufficiency with difficult carbon dioxide elimination in the days following.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/5. Foodborne botulism from eating home-pickled eggs--illinois, 1997.During November 1997, the illinois Department of public health was notified by a local physician about a possible case of foodborne botulism. This report summarizes the case investigation, which implicated home-pickled eggs as the cause.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/5. A case of type F botulism in southern california.BACKGROUND: botulism caused by type F botulinum toxin accounts for less than 0.1% of all human botulism cases and is rarely reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman presented to an emergency department complaining of blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and dysphagia. The treating physician initially considered the possibility of paralytic shellfish poisoning due to a report of shellfish ingestion, which was later determined to be frozen shrimp and a can of tuna, but no gastroenteritis or paresthesias were present. During the emergency department observation, the patient developed respiratory distress with hypercapnea and required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Within hours, ptosis, mydriasis, and weakness in the arms and legs developed. Bivalent (A, B) botulinum antitoxin was administered approximately 24 h from the onset of initial symptoms, but over the next two days complete paralysis progressed to the upper and lower extremities. Shortly thereafter a stool toxin assay demonstrated the presence of type F botulinum toxin. The patient subsequently received an experimental heptavalent botulinum antitoxin on hospital day 7 but paralysis was already complete. Her three-week hospital course was complicated by nosocomial pneumonia and a urinary tract infection, but she gradually improved and was discharged to a rehabilitation facility. Anaerobic cultures and toxin assays have yet to elucidate the source of exposure. CONCLUSION: We report a rare case of type F botulism believed to be foodborne in etiology. Administration of bivalent botulinum antitoxin did not halt progression of paralysis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/5. Catastrophic presentation of infant botulism may obscure or delay diagnosis.Three infants with infant botulism are presented to illustrate how atypical, early, and severe features may obscure or delay diagnosis. Two boys aged 6 weeks and 20 days, respectively, presented with rapid deterioration after brief periods of poor feeding, one with an apparent life-threatening event at home and the other with a full cardiopulmonary arrest. Initial abnormal laboratory findings of coagulopathy suggested sepsis in the first infant. In the second infant, severe acidosis and hypoglycemia suggested an underlying metabolic disorder. A third infant, aged 1 month, was hospitalized originally with an admitting diagnosis of "pharyngitis" resulting from his inability to take adequate feedings. He received intravenous fluids and antibiotics. One week later he suffered a respiratory arrest. Laboratory findings of severe hyponatremia and acidosis at the time of his arrest suggested a metabolic etiology. Even retrospectively, none of these infants had the typical initial complaint of constipation, and none were noted to have ptosis or facial weakness before catastrophic collapse. However, in each case, the parent had initially brought the child to the physician for "poor feeding" or "poor suck," which was not recognized by medical personnel as a result of bulbar weakness. Ultimately, all 3 infants were found to have infant botulism. All 3 had received antibiotics before catastrophic collapse, possibly contributing to the rapidity of the deterioration. Each recovered, although the delay in diagnosis made them ineligible for treatment with botulism immunoglobulin.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/5. Wound botulism associated with black tar heroin.The incidence of wound botulism is increasing and the epidemiology of the disease is changing. The majority of new cases are associated with injection drug use, in particular, the use of Mexican black tar heroin. This case report and discussion of wound botulism illustrate the following important points: Dysphagia, dysphonia, diplopia, and descending paralysis, in association with injection drug use, should alert the treating physician to the possibility of wound botulism. In such patients, the onset of respiratory failure may be sudden and without clinically obvious signs of respiratory weakness. For the reported patient, maximum inspiratory force measurements were the only reliable indicator of respiratory muscle weakness. This is a measurement not routinely performed in the ED, but may prove essential for patients with suspected wound botulism. To minimize the effect of the botulinum toxin and to decrease length of hospital stay, antitoxin administration and surgical wound debridement should be performed early.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |