Botulism in Infants casued by Honey.....

[Busy Bee]

What causes the illness?

Infant botulism is caused by the food poisoning bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This is the same bacterium that causes the food poisoning known as "botulism". Spores of these bacteria are ingested by the infant, grow and produce a neurotoxin (i.e. poison) in the infant's intestine.

Spores of C. botulinum may be easily ingested as they are common in soil and dust. This may lead to botulism in children younger than one year. Many infants who develop infant botulism have been fed honey, the only identified food source of C. botulinum spores causing infant botulism. Three of the sixteen infant botulism cases (as of June 1999) reported in Canada since 1979 have been associated with honey.

How common are C. botulinum spores in honey?

C. botulinum spores have been found in honey that was implicated in infant botulism. Random surveys of honey produced in Canada indicate that C. botulinum spores are rare. Spores of C. botulinum are present in less than 5% of honey and are typically found in very low numbers.

How can honey become contaminated with C. botulinum?

It is not known how honey becomes contaminated with C. botulinum. Spores of C. botulinum, which are commonly found in the environment, may be picked up by bees and brought to the hive. Other microorganisms found in the environment around honey (ie. bees, hives, pollen, soil, flowers, etc.) are also likely to occur in honey.

How can infant botulism be prevented?

Honey is the only food implicated in infant botulism. Since it is not essential for the nutrition of infants, parents and caregivers are reminded not to feed honey to infants less than one year of age. Honey should never be added to baby food or used on a soother to quiet a fussy or colicky baby. Concerned parents should discuss alternative methods for quieting their baby with their pediatrician or family doctor.



Busy Bee

 

[Finman]

.
Honey is not a problem and doctors are not needed.

Quite few in population use honey. It is not essential at all as food stuff.
It is just tasty sugar.

In Finland honey is used only 1 lbs/ inhabitant. Sugar is used 30 kg/inhabitant.

 

[WelshPaul]

Funnily enough a friend of mine on here just did her bbka course and the examiner asked what could you catch if you put the supers on grass with nothing under them, and his answer was botulism.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.108433,-2.988477

 

[Nose Ma]

...and some people pay a lot of money to have the botulinium toxin injected into their faces. It's a funny old world.

 

[Tom_Pearce]

In the US there are 80-100 cases of infant botulism per year. Of those about 5% are thought to be due to spores in honey. This amounts to five cases a year. The remaining 95% of cases are due to unknown causes. While there is reason to be cautious and not to feed honey to infants under a year old, I think that perhaps we should not get this out of proportion. Souce - Wikipaedia

 

[oliver90owner]

Don't know who/why/when this was emboldened in the OP, but the facts given below just do not justify it (my underlining):

Quote: Many infants who develop infant botulism have been fed honey

Because it then goes on to say that of the 16 cases in over 20 years only 3 were associated with honey (and only associated, not necessarily proven to be the cause). Less than 20% - and it could easily have been 2 out of 15 (13%) if they had not included the extra half year!

Babies suck dummies; they get dropped on the floor! General hygiene may have been part of the problem, with these babies. No mention of the statistical risk to all babies, who are fed honey at this very early stage of development (one might say 'the breast-feeding' stage).

Things need to be kept in perspective, read with care, and not mis-reported, to have credence.

Somewhat smacks one in the face that there is some exaggeration of the facts, for jounalistic purposes. That immediately spoils the report, suggesting bias.

While it may be sensible not to feed young humans (under 12 months old) with honey, there seems to be little risk. More risk of tooth decay, I am thinking......

RAB

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I'm sure I read somewhere that there has only ever been 1 case of infant botulism proven 100% to have been caused by honey. Can't remember where I read it though I'm afraid.

 

[itma]

Its NOT a major risk.

However most people are extremely risk-averse when it comes to their own infants.
Its not a good idea for babies to eat earth (soil, the commonest home of C. Botulinum bugs), or honey (which has been found to, at least occasionally, contain the bugs).

C. Bot toxin is powerfully nasty.

Tiny but avoidable risk of serious consequences - that's something most parents would want to avoid.




C. Botulinum loves low oxygen (airless) conditions, but it doesn't like acid conditions.
My understanding is that infant digestion (up to about 1 year, and in contrast to to adult digestion) is not acidic enough to suppress toxin production - but its nice and warm and low in oxygen. So there is the potential for toxin formation, if the bugs are ingested.

 

[For want of a better word]

Don't know who/why/when this was emboldened in the OP, but the facts given below just do not justify it (my underlining):

Quote: Many infants who develop infant botulism have been fed honey

Because it then goes on to say that of the 16 cases in over 20 years only 3 were associated with honey (and only associated, not necessarily proven to be the cause). Less than 20% - and it could easily have been 2 out of 15 (13%) if they had not included the extra half year!

Babies suck dummies; they get dropped on the floor! General hygiene may have been part of the problem, with these babies. No mention of the statistical risk to all babies, who are fed honey at this very early stage of development (one might say 'the breast-feeding' stage).

Things need to be kept in perspective, read with care, and not mis-reported, to have credence.

Somewhat smacks one in the face that there is some exaggeration of the facts, for jounalistic purposes. That immediately spoils the report, suggesting bias.

While it may be sensible not to feed young humans (under 12 months old) with honey, there seems to be little risk. More risk of tooth decay, I am thinking......

RAB

Another member of the Clostridium gang C tetani almost wiped out the population on St Kilda in the 19th / 20th Century
Infants were ritualistally annointed in the umbilical chord area at birth with something contaminated with the bug.

Both bacteria produce a lethal toxin.

The Bacterioligst I trained under used to say that dummies were the cause of more infantile enteritis than any other means!!!
More often dipped in dogs sh*t than honey in the area of London I lived in !!!!

 

[DanBee]

BusyBee - what was the source for the original post?

 

[greatbritishhoney]

:
The Bacterioligst I trained under used to say that dummies were the cause of more infantile enteritis than any other means!!!

Out of interest, would this repeated exposure lead to a stronger immune system in later childhood?

 

[WaxManSmokerBoy]

Unfortunately not. Neither do I recommend feeding the lions through the bars at the zoo. (that would be any zoo by the way)!

This question is another annual event. Reading of the last couple of events in the UK, the infants in question were actually under six months old.

We don't have warnings on vacuum cleaner bags of course. Do not suck this. I do think that the Great British Public needs to wise up and take a little responsibility for themselves from time to time.

 

[For want of a better word]

Out of interest, would this repeated exposure lead to a stronger immune system in later childhood?

Not against the toxin in case of C.botulina?, but in cases of C Tettani, a non lethal dose of attenuated bug gives an antibody responce.
So no and yes maybe!

Now ask me something about marine virus and I may even know the answer!!

​

 

[WaxManSmokerBoy]

Does a light doze of bee fever in early spring make you a better bee keeper later in the season?

Or is it likely to get you into more strife with the wife?

 

[Busy Bee]

BusyBee - what was the source for the original post?

This is the source of where I posted from...

http://www.nutriwatch.org/06FST/honey.html


Busy Bee

 

[Brosville]

I sense acute alarmism on this topic, if we look at the number of people who died from underpants accidents in the same period you'd probably find them FAR more dangerous than botulism from honey.
I've come across something rather similar about "legionella in solar hot water systems" whereby someone "in the industry" got a bee in their bonnet that unless you use an immersion heater to heat your system to high levels every day, we'll all keel over from legionella - which is totally against all the evidence (where are the bodies? - there aren't any!.....)

 

[Finman]

.
Is it so that botulinus bacterium is very common in soil?

Bees use to get water from what ever bacterium source pool.

Uner 2 year old cannot stand backterium like elder.

 

[itma]

.
Is it so that botulinus bacterium is very common in soil?

Bees use to get water from what ever bacterium source pool.

...

This paper reported that about 5% of (widely-sourced) British soil samples (10 out of 174) tested positive.
And that earlier papers had reported 72%, 35% and 98% in surveys of muds from different river/waterway/lakes.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3862209