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Show ?fS! The following report was 1 -""i.isiitted by Richard M. nr:Sst M.D., pediatrics and t scent medicine at North fcwki Medical Center. . r as: TffiliSE ai honey in small : ;c.; ;:i-ii(ias been linked to in-le in-le Jam botulism. Infant bo-ci bo-ci siiisni is a recently recog-t'jA recog-t'jA disease that is believed iD'Xcur upon the infant's ex-yre ex-yre to Clostridium bo-p.m bo-p.m spores. These spores once inside baby's intestines will ger-tisate ger-tisate and thrive producing 3 i Kin that is poisonous to the ,'by. Hie symptoms of infant jhsm range from mild lEI.wsiipaiion to feeding dif-ti: dif-ti: -J-liies with muscle weak-hr weak-hr ws (r paralysis. Infant bo-i bo-i ni'-Um has also been suggest- ed as a possible cause of Sudden Sud-den Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or crib death). THE OLDEST known infant .1 to contract the disease was .. eight months old. For reasons' not well understood it appears that the intestines of a young infant may support the germination ger-mination of Clostridium spores, while in adults and younger children, this is not thought to occur. In adults and young children, when one discusses botulism, one is discussing the disease caused by the ingestion of the toxin (not the live spores) found in contaminated con-taminated foods, or more rarely the disease caused by ihe infection of wounds caused by germs producing toxin. SINCE 1975, there have been 100 proven cases of infant in-fant botulism. Approximately . 35 percent of these cases have 1 been associated with 'the 'in-" fant's exposure' to honey.'t: Recent evidence has established es-tablished that between ten and fifteen percent of commercial com-mercial honey is contaminated contaminat-ed with infective spores. As a result of this new information, in-formation, and based upon the fact that honey has so far been the only food connection implicated to cause infant botulism, it has been recommended recom-mended that honey not be fed to infants under 12 months of age. This recommendation is supported by both the Center for Disease Control, and the world's largest honey producer, the Sioux Honey Association of Sioux City, Iowa. HONEY IS not the only source of spores. Clostridium botulinum spores are skat-tered skat-tered widely in our environment. environ-ment. The organism is distributed dis-tributed in soil and dust. In our households, then, these spores are commonly found in household dust (vacuum cleaner dust), in the soil around our homes, and in a variety of agricultural products including fruits and vegetables. Because spores are heat resistant and can survive hours of boiling, it is possible that home cooked food and improperly canned foods may contain1 live spores. It is recommended that washing and peeling of raw foods before cooking may substantially substan-tially reduce the number of ; viableV spores if present.-'1 Commercial baby foods as well as other properly canned foods should be free of spores by nature of the canning process, which will destroy the spores. IT IS not known why only certain infants become ill with infant botulism, when there are so many spores in our environment. This is an area of current research. At this point in time, it seems reasonable to advise that infants in-fants under 12 months of age not be fed honey, and that extra ex-tra special care be given that only properly prepared foods be used for the nutrition of our infants. . Comments or questions about today's article should be addressed to Dr. Richard M.'Sag, North Davis Pediatrics, Pedia-trics, 2132 N. 1700 W. Suite C, Layton, Utah 84041. |