Document Type : original article

Authors

• Anahita Alizadeh Ghamsari ¹
• Reza Azimi ²
• Nafiseh Pourbadakhshan ³

¹ Faculty of Medicine, MTRC Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

² Khorasan Razavi Province Health Center, Mashhad, Iran.

³ Clinical Research Development Unit of Akbar Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Botulism is a dangerous disease caused by the toxin of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is necessary to familiarize the treatment staff with this disease from various aspects and check the disease outbreak situation in different regions.
Method: This cross-sectional study utilized available statistics on the number of botulism cases in children aged from one month to 18 years in the Razavi Khorasan region of Iran over the past six years, from 2018 to 2023.
Results: A review of statistics obtained from health centers over the past six years shows the incidence of foodborne botulism in children as follows: a total of 73 clinical cases of foodborne botulism have been recorded in people under the age of 18, several of which the source of contamination has been proven through bioassay testing, and description follows:  In 2018, there were 9 cases, all  males, in 2019, 22 cases, 50% males, in 2020, 10 cases, 60% males, in 2021, 1 male case; in 2022, 16 cases40% males, and in 2023, 15 cases, 80% of which were male. The general age range of the patients was from 1 month to 18 years old. The most common sources of the disease were as follows: 19% were canned fish, 12% dairy products kept in an anaerobic environment (some types of yogurts, buttermilk, and local curd), and 8% canned vegetables.
Conclusion: After tuna, dairy products are the second most common source of foodborne botulism; thus, monitoring and ensuring the safety of these products is essential.

Keywords

• Botulism
• Epidemiology
• Pediatric