Botulism in Italy, 1986 to 2015
August 2nd, 2017Eurosurveillance, Volume 22, Issue 24, 15 June 2017
Surveillance and outbreak report Anniballi, Auricchio, Fiore, Lonati, Locatelli, Lista, Fillo, Mandarino, and De Medici: Botulism in Italy, 1986 to 2015
“…..From 1986 to 2015, 466 confirmed cases of botulism were recorded in Italy (of 1,257 suspected cases). Of these, 421 were food-borne (the most frequently seen form of botulism due to the consumption of improperly home-canned foods), 36 were infant botulism, which accounts for ca 50% of all these types of cases registered in Europe, six were wound-related and three were due to adult intestinal colonisation. ……”
Clinical signs and symptoms reported by patients with food-borne botulism, Italy, 1986–2015 (n=421)
* Usually, patients presented mild symptomatology, with a clinical picture including diplopia (double vision), dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), and dry mouth in ca 50% of the cases.
* Respiratory failure was reported in 17.8% (75/421) of patients.
* 16 deaths were recorded, giving a case-fatality rate of 3.8% (16/421), with four of the deaths occurring in elderly patients aged over 80 years who lived alone.