What is Infant Botulism?

Infant botulism is a very rare but serious form of illness that can affect children up to one year. It is caused by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. This bacteria forms “spores” that when swallowed may grow and produce a poison in the baby’s intestine.

C. botulinum can be found in both pasteurized and unpasteurized honey. Therefore, it is very important to never feed honey to a child under the age of one. As the spores are not easily destroyed by heat (for example by cooking or boiling), it should also not be added to infants’ food as a sweetener. C. botulinum can also be found in soil and dust.

What you should do?

—  Don’t give honey to infants younger than one year of age
—  Don’t add honey to their formula, food or water
—  Don’t put honey on their soother

Older children (more than one year old) can safely eat honey

Signs and Symptoms of Infant Botulism

Constipation is often the first sign of infant botulism that parents notice (although many other illnesses also can cause constipation). Contact your health care provider if your baby hasn’t had a bowel movement for several days.  Other symptoms can include:

—  weakness and/or lack of energy
—  too weak to cry or suck as usual
—  wobbly head because the neck is weak
—  lacks facial expression
—  weak arms and legs
—  has trouble breathing
—  unable to swallow

Botulism:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Botulism outbreaks. The Botulism lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Botulism and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Botulism lawyers have litigated Botulism cases stemming from outbreaks traced to carrot juice and chili.

If you or a family member became ill with Botulism after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Botulism attorneys for a free case evaluation.