Botulism

Botulism is a serious illness caused by a toxin (poison) produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. The toxin can:

• severely damage your nerves
• cause paralysis (inability to move your muscles)
• be fatal

The bacteria spores (cells) are found:

• in soil and dust
• on some plants 
• in some foods that have not been prepared safely

Botulism is very rare. It usually affects one person each year in Australia. Botulism can affect you at any age, but it’s most common in children under 12 months of age — this is called infant botulism. 

Most people make a full recovery from botulism if they are diagnosed and treated early.

Botulism causes paralysis that moves down your body. This causes symptoms such as:

• weakness and dizziness
• blurred vision or double vision
• drooping eyelids
• dry mouth
• trouble swallowing and speaking
• muscle weakness that spreads down your body
• trouble breathing

Other symptoms may include:

• constipation
• nausea
• vomiting
• abdominal (tummy) pain

Symptoms of infant botulism may include:

• constipation (Opens in new tab)
• a weak cry
• difficulty feeding
• floppy muscles
• poor head control
• choking and trouble breathing

Symptoms of botulism usually appear 12 to 36 hours after exposure to the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

There are different types of botulism based on the way the toxin gets into the body. You can't catch botulism from someone else.

Foodborne botulism

This is caused by eating food that contains the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This can happen if the food is:

• not cooked or heated enough to destroy the toxins
• not stored at a safe temperature
• spoiled or rotten 
• not preserved or canned safely

High risk foods include:

• salted or smoked seafood or meat
• home preserved fruit and vegetables
• canned foods
• raw honey

Wound botulism

This can happen if spores of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria enter your body through a wound (open sore). The spores usually come from soil or gravel. It can also affect people who inject drugs.

The symptoms of wound botulism may take up to 2 weeks to appear.

Infant botulism

This can happen if a child swallows food or soil containing spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria. The spores grow in the child's gut and produce the toxin there.

Infant botulism affects children under 12 months of age, but is most common in children under 6 months of age. Older children are less likely to develop botulism because their intestines are more developed and can stop the bacteria from growing.

Honey can contain the bacteria that causes infant botulism — babies under 12 months of age should not be given raw honey. 

Doctors may suspect you have botulism based on your symptoms. They can confirm the diagnosis by testing for bacteria in a sample of:

• your blood 
• your faeces (poo)
• food you have eaten
• any wounds you have 

Treatment of botulism may include:

• a botulism antitoxin — this is a medicines which can fight the botulism toxin
• botulinum immunoglobulin — this is a medicine given to infants to help them recover from infant botulism
• a ventilator to help with breathing
• intravenous (IV) fluids, if you cannot swallow
• surgery or antibiotics, if you have an infected wound

Treatment for botulism will happen in hospital. Recovery can take weeks or even months. 

Botulism is a serious illness. If it’s not treated early, it can result in paralysis and even death.

After treatment, ongoing complications of botulism may include:

• reduced ability to exercise
• shortness of breath when exercising 

There are some important food and hygiene rules to follow to help prevent botulism:

• Don't feed honey to babies younger than 12 months. Be careful when you prepare and store food (Opens in new tab) for babies.
• Take care when preserving food — follow instructions, use the correct equipment and make sure food is properly cooked.
• Throw away food that is expired, spoiled or smells bad. Don't eat food from cans that are damaged or swollen.
• Store cold food below 5°C and keep hot food above 60°C. Foods should be cooked and reheated to an internal temperature of at least 75°C.
• Clean any wounds with soap and water and cover them with a sterile dressing.
• Avoid injecting illicit drugs. When injecting medicines for a diagnosed health condition, follow instructions and use sterile equipment.
• Wash your hands with soap and dry them before preparing and eating food. Keep your kitchen and cooking utensils clean.

Read more on food safety and safe home canning (Opens in new tab).

In Australia, botulism is a notifiable condition. This means doctors must notify health authorities if a case of botulism is suspected or confirmed. This helps public health authorities to:

• identify possible sources of infection
• prevent further cases

Read more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of botulism (Opens in new tab), on the World Health Organisation (Opens in new tab) page. 

The Australian Centre for Disease Control (Opens in new tab) has more information about the spread of botulism (Opens in new tab). 

The Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (Opens in new tab) page offers resources on how to safely store food (Opens in new tab). 

Visit the Food Safety Information Council (Opens in new tab) page to learn more about how to handle risky foods (Opens in new tab).

Languages other than English

The Health Translations (Opens in new tab) page offers information about food safety rules (Opens in new tab) in languages other than English.