All of the victims were hospitalized and placed on mechanical ventilation. The Castleberrys Food Company outbreak was the first instance of botulism in commercial canned foods in the United States in over 30 years. One person died, 21 cases were confirmed, and 10 more were suspected in Lancaster, Ohio when a botulism outbreak occurred after a church potluck in April 2015. The suspected source was a salad made from home-canned potatoes. A botulism outbreak occurred in Northern California in May 2017 after 10 people consumed nacho cheese dip served at a gas station in Sacramento County. One man died as a result of the outbreak. United Kingdom
The largest recorded outbreak of foodborne botulism in the United Kingdom occurred in June 1989. A total of 27 patients were affected; one patient died. Twenty-five of the patients had eaten one brand of hazelnut yogurt in the week before the onset of symptoms. Control measures included the cessation of all yogurt production by the implicated producer, the withdrawal of the firms yogurts from sale, the recall of cans of the hazelnut conserve, and advice to the general public to avoid the consumption of all hazelnut yogurts. China
From 1958 to 1983 there were 986 outbreaks of botulism in China involving 4,377 people with 548 deaths. Qapqal disease
After the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949, a mysterious plague (named Qapqal disease) was noticed to be affecting several Sibe villages in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County.
Metal cans containing food in which bacteria are growing may bulge outwards due to gas production from bacterial growth or the food inside may be foamy or have a bad odor; such cans with any of these signs should be discarded.Any container of food which has been heat-treated and then assumed to be airtight which shows signs of not being so, e.g., metal cans with pinprick holes from rust or mechanical damage, should be discarded. Contamination of a canned food solely with C. botulinum may not cause any visual defects to the container, such as bulging. Only assurance of sufficient thermal processing during production, and absence of a route for subsequent contamination, should be used as indicators of food safety. The addition of nitrites and nitrates to processed meats such as ham, bacon, and sausages reduces growth and toxin production of C. botulinum. Vaccine
Vaccines are under development, but they have disadvantages, and in some cases there are concerns that they may revert to dangerous native activity. As of 2017 work to develop a better vaccine was being carried out, but the US FDA had not approved any vaccine against botulism. Treatment
Botulism is generally treated with botulism antitoxin and supportive care.Supportive care for botulism includes monitoring of respiratory function. Respiratory failure due to paralysis may require mechanical ventilation for 2 to 8 weeks, plus intensive medical and nursing care.