Botulism: Prevention

To prevent botulism, attention must be paid to reducing risk factors.

Behavioral risk factors

  • Consumption of
    • Contaminated canned foods* , especially canned sausages and vegetables (e.g., beans) – these do not necessarily have to exhibit gas formation and/or an altered odor/taste
    • Roach* * (Rutilus rutilus; synonyms: roach, loggerhead or the swallow): fish from the carp family; botulism risk is increased if the fish is not carefully gutted and innards are also consumed
  • Feeding honey to infants (infant botulism) [Caution. Do not give honey/maple syrup/corn syrup to infants in the 1st year of life].

Disease-related risk factors

Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

Other notes

  • Botulinus toxin (especially toxin A) is the most potent bacterial toxin known! The lethal dose (LD) for humans is about 8-10 g.
  • * Botulin toxin is heat labile, it is destroyed by sufficient heating or boiling (10 minutes at 100 °C). The spores, however, survive cooking and germinate under anaerobic conditions (canning, preserving jars) and form toxin.
  • * The toxin uptake occurs mainly in uncooked airtight canned meat or fish and sausages/raw ham. Caution. Bloated canned food should not be opened, nor should their contents be consumed.
  • * * The BfR (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) advises the processing or consumption of roaches:
    • Promptly after the catch carefully gut and then thoroughly wash inside and outside. In addition, roaches should be stored at a maximum of 3 ° C until salting, during a salting of several days additionally cooled and before drying above 8 ° C sufficiently salted.
    • Salted and dried roaches should be heated to at least 85 °C for ten minutes before consumption.