A woman was poisoned after eating homemade stinky tofu and suffered respiratory failure! How toxic is botulism?

When it comes to Botox, many people may associate it with cosmetic surgery. Many female friends regard Botox as an anti-wrinkle magic weapon, relying on it to improve crow's feet and "smooth out the traces of time on the face." In fact, it is not only related to beauty, Botox is also closely related to food safety.

This year, Ms. Wu from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, was poisoned by eating homemade stinky tofu. She not only had discomfort, but also suffered respiratory failure. The reason was that the stinky tofu made by Ms. Wu produced botulism toxin, and she ate it without knowing it, which led to food poisoning.

▲Photo: Screenshot from Weibo

How toxic is Botox? How can we avoid it? In this article, we will talk about Botox.

01 What is Botox?

Botulinum toxin, also known as Clostridium botulinum, is widely present in nature, such as silt, dust, animal feces, water, soil, etc. in rivers, lakes and seas.

The most suitable growth temperature for Clostridium botulinum is 25-37°C, and the most suitable temperature for producing toxin is 20-35°C. It can survive in an oxygen-free, low-temperature environment, but it cannot continue to reproduce and produce toxins when the temperature drops below 15°C or exceeds 55°C. [1]

The botulinum toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is a highly toxic protein that can not only cause food poisoning but is also used to make biological weapons.

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02 What are the dangers of botulism poisoning?

There are seven types of botulinum toxin: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. A, B, E, and F can cause poisoning in humans; C and D are mainly effective against livestock and poultry, and have no effect on humans; and G is extremely rare, with no reports of poisoning so far.

Botulinum toxin itself does not cause poisoning. What is poisonous is the botulinum toxin it produces. Most botulism food poisoning in my country is caused by type A, which is mainly neurological poisoning.

After eating food containing botulinum toxin, the toxin can be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. After poisoning, it can cause motor nerve paralysis, uncoordinated movements, headache, fatigue, strabismus, drooping eyelids, difficulty chewing and swallowing, and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, death may occur due to respiratory failure, with a mortality rate of over 30%. [1]

From this point of view, the toxicity of botulinum toxin is still quite terrible.

03 Which foods may contain botulism toxin?

Many foods in our daily lives may pose a risk of botulism infection, including lightly pickled foods and improperly processed canned or bottled low-acid foods, such as homemade low-acid canned vegetables and vacuum-packed meat, fish products, fermented black beans, and fermented bean curd. [2]

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Furthermore, homemade bacon is also a food that is susceptible to botulism. If the environmental conditions are not well controlled and the production process is improper, it may directly lead to the growth of botulism and produce deadly toxins, but it will not cause the food to obviously go bad. [3] Therefore, if you want to eat bacon, it is recommended to buy bacon from a regular manufacturer, which is safer.

In addition, honey is also a risk factor for young babies. When bees collect pollen to make honey, they can easily bring pollen and honey contaminated with botulism back to the beehive, which may cause the honey to contain botulism and its spores. The intestinal barrier function of babies under one year old is not yet fully developed and may not be able to inhibit the reproduction of botulism, so eating honey may cause poisoning. In the early stages of poisoning, constipation will occur, followed by drowsiness, weak sucking, difficulty feeding, muscle weakness, weak crying, and severe cases may be fatal. [1, 4]

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For people over one year old, the natural microbial flora in their intestines has developed to a more mature state, which is not conducive to the germination of these spores, so it is still relatively safe.

04 How to prevent botulism food poisoning?

Although botulinum toxin is highly toxic, it is unstable to heat and can be destroyed by boiling it at 100°C for 10 minutes[5].

Daily prevention of botulism food poisoning can start from the following 6 points, especially the first 5 points:

① Do not eat raw food, especially raw animal food and aquatic plants, such as sashimi, drunken shrimp, drunken crab, raw water chestnut, lotus root, water chestnut, etc. Not eating raw food can not only prevent botulism poisoning, but also prevent other pathogenic bacteria and parasitic infections.

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② For fruits and vegetables that can be eaten raw, make sure to remove any dirt and possible feces from the surface and wash them thoroughly before eating. Food that needs to be cooked must be thoroughly heated to destroy toxins and avoid food poisoning.

③ If you cannot finish the prepared food, seal it and refrigerate it. Do not expose it to room temperature for too long to avoid contamination by Clostridium botulinum. At the same time, low temperature can also prevent the production of botulinum toxin.

④ When using a cutting board, keep raw and cooked food separate to avoid cross contamination between foods.

⑤ When making fermented foods or pickled foods, pay attention to the hygiene of the environment and containers, and the raw materials must be thoroughly steamed or cleaned. You can put the containers you need in boiling water at 100°C in advance and continue boiling for 10 to 20 minutes.

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⑥ Some studies have mentioned that botulinum toxin vaccines can be used. Currently, the botulinum toxin toxin vaccine that is widely used abroad is the formalin-inactivated pentavalent vaccine. However, this vaccine can only prevent the five types of botulinum toxin, A, B, C, D, and E, and cannot resist the F and G types of botulinum toxin. Fortunately, the latter two are very rare. [1]

Summarize:

Although botulism poisoning is not very common in life, once it occurs, it will cause great damage to the body and even endanger life. Prevention is still the main thing in daily life, especially for those who have no experience. It is best not to make fermented or pickled foods at home. You can buy them directly from regular manufacturers, which is relatively safer.

Author | Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public nutritionist

Review | Han Hongwei, Director of Risk Communication Department, National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

References:

[1] Zhao Sijun, Li Xuelian, Cao Xumin, Wang Juan, Wang Yudong, Wang Junwei, Qu Zhina. Research progress on Clostridium botulinum and botulinum toxin[J]. Chinese Journal of Animal Quarantine, 2013, 30(08):36-39+54.

[2] Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong

https://www.cfs.gov.hk/sc_chi/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_86_01.html

[3] Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety. Preserved Meat and Food Safety

https://www.cfs.gov.hk/sc_chi/whatsnew/whatsnew_fst/whatsnew_fst_Lapmei_Chinese_Preserved_Meat_Food_Safety.html

[4] Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong

https://www.cfs.gov.hk/sc_chi/whatsnew/whatsnew_act/High_Risk_Food_faq.html

[5] Li Qingpeng, Lü Jiaping, Jin Jing, Cui Wenhui, Guo Qin, Zhang Shuwen, Lu Jing, Ha Yiming. Warning of safety incidents of botulism in dairy products[J]. Journal of Food Safety and Quality, 2014, 5(05): 1413-1418. DOI: 10.19812/j.cnki.jfsq11-5956/ts.2014.05.023.

This article is produced by the Science Popularization China-Creation Cultivation Program. Please indicate the source when reprinting