Why botulism in honey

Clostridium botulinum bacteria are found worldwide in soil and sediments. They can enter your body through cuts and they can also find their way into animals, fish and agricultural products which may then become food for human consumption. Clostridium botulinum produces one of the most potent strongest toxins known and tiny amounts can cause paralysis.

There are three primary types of botulism: intestinal, food-borne, and wound. Honey is associated with intestinal botulism. The good news? Cases of intestinal botulism caused by raw honey are very rare!

Honey can also be a healthy and delicious addition to your diet. Botulism is a rare but potentially fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The illness targets your nervous system and can lead to paralysis and respiratory failure. The most common way to get botulism is by consuming food contaminated with the bacteria.

You can also get it by:. But only four types can lead to botulism in humans, and one is very rare. These spores grow in oxygen-free conditions and thrive in improperly stored fermented and home-canned foods. Honey is one of the most common sources of botulism. About 20 percent of botulism cases involve honey or corn syrup. One study looked at multifloral honey samples from Poland.

The researchers found that 2. The researchers also noted that their results are in line with results from other countries. Infants and children under 12 months are at the highest risk of developing botulism from honey.

The Mayo Clinic advises against giving honey to children under 12 months of age. Improperly canned or fermented foods are among the most common sources of botulism. About 90 percent of botulism cases occur in infants younger than 6 months old. Children under 12 months are also at a heightened risk of developing botulism.

Older children and adults have digestive systems that are better equipped to fight off the bacterial spores found in contaminated foods like honey. The bacteria Clostridium botulinum can germinate in the digestive tract of children younger than 12 months old.

Because of this, symptoms of botulism might not develop until 1 month after exposure. According to the CDC, you may also be at an elevated risk of developing botulism if you:. Symptoms usually appear around 12 to 36 hours after being exposed to the toxin. In adults and older children, botulism causes weakness in the muscles around the eyes, mouth, and throat. The most dangerous effect is paralysis of the diaphragm, which means the infants cannot breathe on their own without a respirator until the disease is cured.

Children under the age of twelve months are at risk of infant botulism if they are fed honey or anything with honey in it. Botulism spores can be found in honey; when swallowed, the spores release a toxin. Infants' systems are too immature to prevent this toxin from developing. In fact, most cases of botulism in the U.

When botulism toxin is absorbed from the intestines, it affects the nervous system. The most common symptoms in infants are muscle weakness — the infant feels "floppy" and the eyelids can droop; constipation, sometimes for several days; poor sucking and feeding; and an unusual cry.

Poor feeding can quickly lead to dehydration. Muscle weakness can lead to breathing difficulties. No one knows exactly how long it takes for symptoms to develop, but it's thought to be about 3 to about 30 days. Over a period of a few days, a child can become acutely ill. If botulism is thought to be the cause of the child's illness, there is a treatment available, but it takes a day or so for this unusual drug to be delivered to hospitals.

Children usually recover, even without this drug, but receiving it can shorten the length of time that a child spends in the hospital.