What foods can cause botulism?

What foods are most likely to cause botulism? To answer this question, you need to understand what botulism means, why it occurs, what are the signs of botulism and how to avoid a dangerous disease.

Briefly about botulism

Botulism is an infectious disease that occurs when botulinum toxin, a powerful biological poison, enters the body.

The toxic substance is produced by Clostridium botulinum, microorganisms widespread in the environment.

Clostridia can be found in soil, decaying plants and animals. Microorganisms form stable spores, which up to a certain point are not dangerous to humans. For bacteria to produce a toxic substance, the following conditions must be met.

Conditions for toxin release:

1. Lack of air.
2. The ambient temperature is within 26-32 degrees.
3. A certain level of acidity.

If one of the conditions is not met, the spores cannot turn into a vegetative form and begin to produce dangerous poison. Botulism spores are not killed by freezing, surface treatment with cleaning agents, boiling for less than 4 hours, or exposure to ultraviolet rays. Despite the widespread occurrence of Clostridium botulinum in nature, the disease botulism is diagnosed quite rarely.

Foods that cause botulism

Few people think about it, but canned food, homemade products, meat and fish that are familiar to our table can become hazardous to health. Improper preparation and storage of food provokes severe food poisoning that can harm the body. To protect yourself and your loved ones from intoxication, you need to know which foods most often cause botulism.

Botulism in mushrooms

Mushrooms occupy the first place among botulinum toxin poisoning. Forest gifts contain the largest amount of clostridia, the spores of which in sealed jars begin to produce a toxin.

When eating mushroom products produced in special enterprises, the risk of contracting botulism is very low.

Homemade canned mushrooms, on the contrary, pose a great danger to humans.

How to avoid botulism mushroom:

• Forest gifts should be sorted on the same day they are collected, thoroughly cleaning the stem and cap from soil and rotten leaves.
• Boil the mushrooms for at least an hour; after boiling, drain the water.
• You should not collect overgrown mushrooms; the content of harmful microorganisms in them significantly exceeds the norm.
• It is strictly forbidden to purchase canned mushrooms in markets from unfamiliar traders.
• Swollen jars of pickled mushrooms must be disposed of immediately.

In order to protect yourself from fungal botulism, doctors recommend completely avoiding eating canned mushrooms. If this is not possible, eat only your own twists that have been properly prepared and stored in a cool place.

Botulism in fish

Russian medicine became acquainted with botulism thanks to fish. The likelihood of contracting botulism when consuming fish products can be reduced by simply following simple rules.

Precautionary measures:

1. Only fresh or chilled fish should be salted. A product that has been stored at room temperature for a long time is likely to contain harmful microorganisms.
2. Fish should be kept in saline solution for at least 3 days.
3. Only fresh product is suitable for smoking and drying; rotten raw materials are hazardous to health.

Canned fish can also cause botulism. When purchasing pink salmon or mackerel in iron cans, you should pay attention to the integrity of the container - the contents of dented and swollen cans are hazardous to health. Read more about intoxication of fish products on our website here.

Botulism in meat

Poorly cooked meat, blood sausage and other home-cooked products often cause intoxication in the body. Canned meat in industrial packaging is safer for humans compared to homemade ones.

In the process of making stewed meat, microbial spores are killed due to high temperatures, which cannot be achieved at home. Opened canned food should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day.

Botulism in pickled cucumbers

In second place after mushroom poisoning is intoxication with pickled cucumbers. Canned cucumbers create an optimal environment for the life of clostridia, which produce dangerous poison.

Violation of canning technology can cause serious illness.

Preventive measures:

• Prepare vegetables for the winter, collected from your garden plot.
• During the growing process, cover the soil under the plants with a special coating.
• You cannot put rotten and dirty cucumbers into jars.
• Glass containers and lids must be sterilized.
• Ready preserves can be stored in a cool place for no more than a year.
• Jars with lifted lids and cloudy brine should be discarded.

The most common cause of spoilage of pickled cucumbers is poor quality raw materials.

What other foods can cause intoxication? Jam, vegetable salads, fruit jams, that is, everything that is rolled up in an airtight container without observing the rules and regulations of canning.

Ways to prevent botulism

It is quite possible to avoid botulinum toxin poisoning; it is enough to take precautions when canning vegetables and fruits at home.

Prevention methods:

1. Carefully select products for home preparation; it is better to throw away fruits that cause suspicion.
2. Do not eat canned mushrooms and vegetables with cloudy brine and a swollen lid.
3. It is advisable to write the date of manufacture of the product on the jar.
4. Before you start canning, your hands and the working surface of the table must be thoroughly washed, and the jars must be sterilized.
5. Do not buy homemade products from your own hands in the markets.
6. Cans of canned fish and meat must bear the date of manufacture, information about the manufacturer and the composition of the product. (canned food poisoning)

Consequences of botulism

Untimely treatment of botulism can cause a number of complications.

Consequences of the disease:

• Botulinum toxin blocks the impulses of the central nervous system and causes paralysis.
• Dysfunction of the visual organs: double vision, the appearance of fog and spots before the eyes, strabismus.
• Impairment of the motor system: the patient’s body becomes sluggish, it is difficult for him to hold his head upright.
• The appearance of problems with respiratory and swallowing function: the victim can hardly swallow food, breathing becomes shallow and frequent.
• Gastroenteric syndrome: nausea, vomiting, loose stools.

Timely first aid and further treatment in a hospital under the supervision of doctors will help avoid serious consequences of intoxication.

To protect yourself and your family from botulism, you need to know which products cause botulinum toxin poisoning and how to properly preserve and store homemade preparations.

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