BACKGROUND: On 7 and 11 July 2007, health officials in Texas and Indiana, respectively, reported 4 possible cases of type A foodborne botulism to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne botulism is a rare and sometimes fatal illness caused by consuming foods containing botulinum neurotoxin. METHODS: Investigators reviewed patients' medical charts and food histories. Clinical specimens and food samples were tested for botulinum toxin and neurotoxin-producing Clostridium species. Investigators conducted inspections of the cannery that produced the implicated product. RESULTS: Eight confirmed outbreak associated cases were identified from Indiana (n = 2), Texas (n = 3), and Ohio (n = 3). Botulinum toxin type A was identified in leftover chili sauce consumed by the Indiana patients and 1 of the Ohio patients. Cannery inspectors found violations of federal canned-food regulations that could have led to survival of Clostridium botulinum spores during sterilization. The company recalled 39 million cans of chili. Following the outbreak, the US Food and Drug Administration inspected other canneries with similar canning systems and issued warnings to the industry about the danger of C. botulinum and the importance of compliance with canned food manufacturing regulations. CONCLUSIONS: Commercially produced hot dog chili sauce caused these cases of type A botulism. This is the first US foodborne botulism outbreak involving a commercial cannery in >30 years. Sharing of epidemiologic and laboratory findings allowed for the rapid identification of implicated food items and swift removal of potentially deadly products from the market by US food regulatory authorities.
BACKGROUND: On 7 and 11 July 2007, health officials in Texas and Indiana, respectively, reported 4 possible cases of type A foodborne botulism to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne botulism is a rare and sometimes fatal illness caused by consuming foods containing botulinum neurotoxin. METHODS: Investigators reviewed patients' medical charts and food histories. Clinical specimens and food samples were tested for botulinum toxin and neurotoxin-producing Clostridium species. Investigators conducted inspections of the cannery that produced the implicated product. RESULTS: Eight confirmed outbreak associated cases were identified from Indiana (n = 2), Texas (n = 3), and Ohio (n = 3). Botulinum toxin type A was identified in leftover chili sauce consumed by the Indiana patients and 1 of the Ohio patients. Cannery inspectors found violations of federal canned-food regulations that could have led to survival of Clostridium botulinum spores during sterilization. The company recalled 39 million cans of chili. Following the outbreak, the US Food and Drug Administration inspected other canneries with similar canning systems and issued warnings to the industry about the danger of C. botulinum and the importance of compliance with canned food manufacturing regulations. CONCLUSIONS: Commercially produced hot dog chili sauce caused these cases of type A botulism. This is the first US foodborne botulism outbreak involving a commercial cannery in >30 years. Sharing of epidemiologic and laboratory findings allowed for the rapid identification of implicated food items and swift removal of potentially deadly products from the market by US food regulatory authorities.
Authors: R G Villar; R L Shapiro; S Busto; C Riva-Posse; G Verdejo; M I Farace; F Rosetti; J A San Juan; C M Julia; J Becher; S E Maslanka; D L Swerdlow Journal: JAMA Date: 1999-04-14 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: M E St Louis; S H Peck; D Bowering; G B Morgan; J Blatherwick; S Banerjee; G D Kettyls; W A Black; M E Milling; A H Hauschild Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 1988-03 Impact factor: 25.391
Authors: John C O'Horo; Eugene P Harper; Abdelghani El Rafei; Rashid Ali; Daniel C DeSimone; Amra Sakusic; Omar M Abu Saleh; Jasmine R Marcelin; Eugene M Tan; Agam K Rao; Jeremy Sobel; Pritish K Tosh Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2017-12-27 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Antonio Valero; Elena Olague; Eduardo Medina-Pradas; Antonio Garrido-Fernández; Verónica Romero-Gil; María Jesús Cantalejo; Rosa María García-Gimeno; Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez; Guiomar Denisse Posada-Izquierdo; Francisco Noé Arroyo-López Journal: Foods Date: 2020-01-24
Authors: Jason Brunt; Arnoud H M van Vliet; Andrew T Carter; Sandra C Stringer; Corinne Amar; Kathie A Grant; Gauri Godbole; Michael W Peck Journal: Toxins (Basel) Date: 2020-09-11 Impact factor: 4.546