The first signs of botulism in humans
Botulism is a deadly acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and its products. Symptoms of botulism, as a rule, develop rapidly. The main ones are nausea, tachycardia, flatulence, constipation and aphonia.
Interesting facts:
- a minimal amount of bacteria is sufficient for the development of the disease;
- the disease is not transmitted from person to person;
- botulotoxin is the most toxic known today;
- the largest number of cases of food botulism in Ukraine are recorded, as a rule, in summer;
- botulinum toxin (BT) is used in modern medicine for the treatment of many diseases (neurological, urological, cerebral palsy, etc.).
The first signs of botulism in humans
The first manifestations of the disease are non-specific and short-lived, in many ways similar to the phenomena of acute infection and acute enteritis. It:
- sharp pains in the central part of the abdomen;
- diarrhea 5-7 times a day;
- repeated vomiting;
- malaise, headache;
- temperature rise to 40 degrees.
A feature of the disease is the change of diarrhea to persistent constipation.
The first signs of botulism in humans appear 5-12 hours after the toxin enters the body. In isolated cases, the clinic may appear only after 7-12 days.
Causes of botulism poisoning
The main source of the disease is homemade canned meat, salted and smoked fish, as well as water, food products contaminated with soil, intestinal contents of fish and birds. Most often, infection takes place in vegetative forms. The main ways are contact, household and food.
Potentially dangerous food products:
- homemade canned mushrooms;
- meat home preservation;
- dried fish (the causative agent of botulism in fish dies only during heat treatment for 25-40 minutes);
- homemade sausages;
- products without proper heat treatment.
Incubation period
The incubation period of botulism lasts from several hours to 3-5 days. Very rarely, the first manifestations of the disease occur 7-10 days after consuming low-quality products. Symptoms appear suddenly and mimic food poisoning with sharp abdominal pain, repeated diarrhea, vomiting, fever and general weakness. Vital human organs are damaged. According to statistics, the earlier the symptoms are detected, the more difficult the course of the disease will be.
The most serious complications of botulism are anaphylactic shock, purulent parotitis, serum sickness, aspiration pneumonia, and purulent tracheobronchitis.
On our website Dobrobut.com, you can make an appointment with a specialist and undergo the necessary diagnostics. Here you will find information about what foods cause botulism and what to do as a first aid.
Classification of the disease
Food botulism develops as a result of eating products contaminated with the toxin.
Wound botulism develops as a result of contact of blood with an infected surface (cuts, injections). It is characterized by a slow increase in symptoms (the incubation period lasts 2-3 weeks) and is most often diagnosed in drug addicts.
"Respiratory" botulism can occur when a large number of spores enter the body through the air. Possible when using bacteriological weapons.
Children's type of the disease. The doctor will tell you in detail about what botulism is and how it is dangerous for the child.
Indeterminate botulism - this diagnosis is made if it is not possible to establish the source of infection.
Clinical manifestations of the disease
Gastrointestinal manifestations. As mentioned above, the onset of the disease in many ways resembles a clinic of acute poisoning. Sharp abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea changing to constipation, general malaise and fever are the main symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract. With early diagnosis, botulism serum has the maximum effect.
Ocular manifestations. The patient complains about the lack of clarity of vision, the presence of "flies", nets in front of the eyes and blurred contours. Characteristic in this case is the "farsightedness syndrome" - the patient can poorly see close objects and very clearly far away objects.
Respiratory disorders - increasing shortness of breath, tachycardia.
When the disease is of medium severity, there are problems with swallowing, speech is disturbed. Muscle weakness increases, double vision and heaviness in the eyelids appear.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis is made after taking an anamnesis (determining the causes of botulism poisoning) and examining the patient. Characteristic symptoms and results of laboratory diagnostics are of decisive importance (the toxin is detected in the patient's blood, vomitus, feces, urine, gastric lavage).
Botulism treatment and prevention
Medical care - gastric lavage, administration of enterosorbents, siphon enema. The earlier the treatment of botulism in a person is started, the more favorable the result will be.
Specific treatment is the appointment of anti-botulinum serum. Its use is especially effective in the first three days after the onset of the disease. In cases of moderate severity, the serum is administered twice a day, in severe cases - every 6 hours.
Recovery after botulism is very slow. First of all, it concerns muscle strength and eye manifestations. Disorders of the central nervous system and the work of internal organs, as a rule, pass without a trace. In severe cases, complications such as purulent parotitis, aspiration pneumonia, and purulent tracheobronchitis may develop.
Botulism prevention:
- do not preserve mushrooms, meat and fish at home;
- do not use expired products;
- do not buy canned goods;
- jars with home preservation with blown lids must be thrown away;
- when canning, use only proven recipes.
If you are concerned about the question, botulism - what kind of disease is it, make an appointment at the above phone numbers. Doctors of the highest category consult in our clinic.
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