Journal Article

Botulism in Spain: Epidemiology and Outcomes of Antitoxin Treatment, 1997–2019

Leon-Gomez, Inmaculada, Flores-Cuéllar, Ángeles, Díaz-García, Oliva, Peñuelas, Marina, Guerrero-Vadillo, María, Carrasco, Gema, Varela, Carmen, Valdezate, Sylvia, Zamora, María

2022

Overview

Background: Botulism is a low incidence but potentially fatal infectious disease caused by neurotoxins produced mainly by Clostridium botulinum. There are different routes of acquisition, food-borne and infant/intestinal being the most frequent presentation, and antitoxin is the treatment of choice in all cases. In Spain, botulism is under surveillance, and case reporting is mandatory. Methods: This retrospective study attempts to provide a more complete picture of the epidemiology of botulism in Spain from 1997 to 2019 and an assessment of the treatment, including the relationship between a delay in antitoxin administration and the length of hospitalization using the Cox proportional hazards test and Kruskal–Wallis test, and an approach to the frequency of adverse events, issues for which no previous national data have been published. Results: Eight of the 44 outbreaks were associated with contaminated commercial foods involving ≤7 cases/outbreak; preserved vegetables were the main source of infection, followed by fish products; early antitoxin administration significantly reduces the hospital stay, and adverse reactions to the antitoxin affect around 3% of treated cases.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Age / Animals / Antitoxins / Botulinum Antitoxin / botulinum neurotoxins / Botulinum toxin / Botulism / Botulism - diagnosis / Botulism - drug therapy / Botulism - epidemiology / botulism antitoxin / Case reports / Clostridium botulinum / Epidemics / Epidemiology / Fishery products / Food contamination / Food contamination & poisoning / food-borne botulism / infant botulism / Infectious diseases / Laboratories / Neurotoxins / Outbreaks / Retrospective Studies / Spain - epidemiology / Toxins