Table 2.
Examples of recent incidents of foodborne botulism.
| Outbreak | Probable cause of outbreak | Number of cases (deaths) | C. botulinum Group | Toxin type | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home-made fermented beaver tail and paw (USA, 2001) |
Temperature abuse | 3 (0) | II | E | [23] |
| Home-made, fermented salmon roe (2 outbreaks) (Canada, 2001) |
Temperature abuse | 4 (0) | II | E | [24] |
| Raw “muktuk” (skin and blubber from beluga whale, stored in sealed plastic bags) (USA, 2002) |
Temperature abuse enabling growth and toxin production in sealed bag | 12 (0) | II | E | [25] |
| Home-salted, air-dried fish (Germany, 2003) |
Fish gutted, salted in brine, dried, no refrigeration | 3 (0) | II | E | [26] |
| Home-made “rakfisk” (Norway, 2003) |
Inadequate salt and inadequate refrigeration | 4 (0) | II | E | [26] |
| Green olives preserved using salt (Italy, 2004) |
No lethal heat treatment, no controlled inhibitory conditions | 28 (0) | I? | B | [27] |
| Illicit prison alcohol “pruno”, made with potatoes (2 unlinked outbreaks) (USA, 2004) |
Mild heat treatment, maintenance at ambient temperature | 5 (0) | I | A | [28] |
| Home-made suzme (condensed yoghurt) (Turkey, 2005) |
Condensed yoghurt filled into plastic jars and buried in earth for 2 months. Yoghurt in one jar had been in contact with soil. | 10 (2) | I | A | [29] |
| Home-dried fish (Kazakhstan, 2005) |
Inadequate processing (?) | 25 (1) | II? | E? | [30] |
| Home-prepared, uneviscerated, salted fish (USA, 2005) |
Uneviscerated fish with salt placed in sealed plastic bag and stored at ambient temperature for ∼ I month | 5 (0) | II | E | [31] |
| Traditional soup (“Ashmast”) (Iran, 2006) |
Soup included spinach that had been stored in an airtight container | 11 (0) | II | E | [32] |
| Home-canned bamboo shoots (Thailand, 2006) |
Inadequate heat treatment | 209 (0) | I | A | [33,34] |
| Commercial pasteurised carrot juice (Canada & USA, 2006) |
Safety relied on refrigeration; refrigeration inadequate | 6 (1) | I | A | [35,36] |
| Commercially produced sausages (China, 2007) | Production unknown, no refrigeration | 66 (0) | I | A | [37] |
| Commercially canned chilli sauce (USA, 2007) |
Deficient canning process | 8 (0) | I | A | [38,39] |
| Home-packed, unprocessed black olives? (Dutch tourists) (Turkey, 2008) |
Unknown | 8 (0) | I? | B | [40] |
| Commercial chicken enchiladas (France, 2008) |
Product pasteurised, probably stored at room temperature for 2 weeks. Reheated by microwaving | 2 (0) | I | A | [41] |
| Home-canned green beans/carrots (USA, 2008) |
Inadequate heat treatment | 4 (0) | I | A | [30] |
| Prepared vegetables (Rwanda, 2009) |
Poor preparation (?) | 64 (2) | I? | B | [30] |
| Commercial vacuum-packed, hot-smoked whitefish (France, 2009) |
Temperature abuse (?) | 3 (0) | II | E | [42] |
| Commercial products, artichoke preserve; cream of vegetable soup (unlinked cases) (Italy, 2010) |
Products pasteurised. Refrigeration not specified or only suggested. Long shelf-life | 2 (0) | I? | B | [43] |
| Home-prepared ham (2 outbreaks) (France, 2010) |
Inadequate processing | 10 (0) | II | B | [44] |
| Commercial curry sauce in jar (UK, 2011) |
Controlling factor (pH), not as specified | 3 (0) | I | A | [45] |
| Commercial olives stuffed with almonds (from Italy) (Finland, 2011) |
Product pasteurised. No inhibitory conditions reported | 2 (1) | I | B | [46] |
| Commercial (artisan) ground green olive paste (France, 2011) |
Inadequate heat treatment | 9 (0) | I | A | [47] |
| Commercially produced potato soup (2 unlinked cases) (USA, 2011) |
Not refrigerated | 2 (0) | I | A | [48] |
| Illicit prison alcohol “pruno”, made with potatoes (USA, 2011) |
Mild heat treatment, maintenance at ambient temperature | 8 (0) | I | A | [49] |
| Home-made olive and tuna pate (?) (Spain, 2011) |
Temperature abuse | 2 (0) | I | A | [50] |
| Illicit prison alcohol “pruno”, made with potatoes (2 outbreaks) (USA, 2012) |
Mild heat treatment, maintenance at ambient temperature | 12 (0) | I | A | [51] |
| Home-prepared ham (France, 2012) |
Inadequate processing | 2 (0) | II | B | [44] |