All Journals > Clinical Infectious Diseases > 1 December 2003 > Botulism from Food Sold at a Salvage Store

Article Tools

Search for Related Articles

  • By Author
  • Search In

Announcements

CID LISTED AMONG
“MOST INFLUENTIAL”

Clinical Infectious Diseases has been named as one of the "100 Most Influential Journals in Biology and Medicine" of the past 100 years by the Special Libraries Association. The list was compiled by the 680-plus members of SLA’s Biomedical and Life Sciences Division.

See the full list here.

Source: The DBIO 100, the 100 Most Influential Journals in Biology & Medicine over the last 100 Years

In the News

Featured in MSNBC
"Germs and flu are up; infection control is down" June 9, 2009
Trends in the Incidence of Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection in Children’s Hospitals in the United States
Jeffrey S. Gerber, Susan E. Coffin, Sarah A. Smathers, and Theoklis E. Zaoutis
Just this week, researchers reported that the incidence of MRSA infections among children admitted to pediatric hospitals in the United States more than tripled between 2002 and 2007. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found cases of MRSA jumped from 6.7 per 1,000 admissions in 2002 to 21.1 cases per 1,000 admissions in 2007, according to a study released online Monday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Featured in Toronto Star
"Pigs, viruses and politics" May 2, 2009
Are Swine Workers in the United States at Increased Risk of Infection with Zoonotic Influenza Virus?
Kendall P. Myers, Christopher W. Olsen, Sharon F. Setterquist, Ana W. Capuano, Kelley J. Donham, Eileen L. Thacker, James A. Merchant, and Gregory C. Gray
Another study, this one published in the U.S. journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in 2006, found that workers in meat-processing plants have a greater likelihood of being infected by some version of the H1N1 flu virus than the general population (the odds of pig farmers getting the disease are significantly greater again).

Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer
"A shot in the arm for vaccines" April 19, 2009
Vaccines: Pneumococcal Vaccination of Elderly Adults: New Paradigms for Protection
Lisa A. Jackson and Edward N. Janoff
Every year, an estimated 915,000 people 65 and older get pneumonia, and 40 percent of them end up in hospitals, according to a 2004 paper in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Pneumonia often kills older people, said Richard Stefanacci, a geriatrician at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

1 December 2003

Volume 37, Number 11
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2003;37:1490–1495
This article is in the public domain, and no copyright is claimed.
1058-4838/2003/3711-0010$15.00
DOI: 10.1086/379326
MAJOR ARTICLE

An Outbreak of Foodborne Botulism Associated with Food Sold at a Salvage Store in Texas

Pavani Kalluri,1,2

Colleen Crowe,2

Megan Reller,2

Linda Gaul,3

James Hayslett,1,3

Suzanne Barth,3

Stacey Eliasberg,4

J. Ferreira,4

Kristin Holt,5

Steve Bengston,5

Kate Hendricks,3 and

Jeremy Sobel2

1Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, and 2Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; 3Texas Department of Health, Austin; 4Office of Regulatory Affairs, US Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland; and 5Food Safety and Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

Foodborne botulism is caused by potent neurotoxins of Clostridium botulinum. We investigated a large outbreak of foodborne botulism among church supper attendees in Texas. We conducted a cohort study of attendees and investigated the salvage store that sold the implicated foods. We identified 15 cases of botulism (40%) among 38 church supper attendees. Nine patients (60%) had botulinum toxin type A detected in stool specimens. The diagnosis was delayed in 3 cases. Fifteen (63%) of 24 attendees who ate a chili dish developed botulism (relative risk, undefined; ). The chili dish was prepared with “brand X” or “brand Y” frozen chili, “brand Z” canned chili, and hot dogs. An unopened container of brand X chili yielded type A toxin. Brand X chili was purchased at a salvage store where perishable foods were inadequately refrigerated. Our investigation highlights the need to improve clinicians’ awareness of botulism. More rigorous and more unannounced inspections may be necessary to detect food mishandling at salvage stores.

Received 22 May 2003; accepted 6 August 2003; electronically published 17 October 2003.

Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Pavani Kalluri, Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MS A‐38, 1600 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30030 ().

Cited by

M.W. Peck. (2006) Clostridium botulinum and the safety of minimally heated, chilled foods: an emerging issue?. Journal of Applied Microbiology 101:3, 556-570
Online publication date: 1-Oct-2006.
CrossRef
Jeremy Sobel. (2005) Botulism. Clinical Infectious Diseases 41:8, 1167-1173
Online publication date: 15-Oct-2005.
Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (348 kB)
Back to Top
Close Popup