Good News About Botulism?

By now you've probably heard about the FDA nationwide recall of canned meat products (and, curiously, dog food!) from a Castleberry Food Products plant in Augusta, Georgia. Hot dog chili sauce and other canned items marketed under multiple different brands are involved - including Kroger.

FDA claims these canned products are contaminated with a dangerous bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. The germ releases a deadly, paralyzing toxin - that's botulism.

People have feared botulism since they began canning food. Remember your mom's advice never to buy food in swollen cans with protruding (convex) tops? That wise advice still rings true today.

So, why should an ophthalmologist care about botulism? Microdoses of purified botulinum toxin constitutes BOTOX, the miracle wrinkle eradicator. Long before healthy adults began voluntarily eliminating their facial expressions ophthalmologists were injecting BOTOX into eligible patients with overactive eyelid muscles (treating blepharospasm) and overactive extraocular muscles (correcting strabismus).

For medical trivia buffs, blepharospasm was the first FDA-approved indication for injectable BOTOX back in the 1980s. Prior to BOTOX, patients with blepharospasm (continuous involuntary blinking) often underwent surgery to have the twitching muscles removed, leaving the patient with unattractive droopy lids.

As a drug, injectable BOTOX selectively paralyzes overacting muscle fibers. It only works for a few months but repeated injections result in muscle atrophy and permanent resolution.

Before long this canned food contamination crisis will pass. Hopefully very few folks will be exposed to these deadly germs. Meanwhile, medical-grade botulinum toxin (BOTOX) continues to help patients with a wide range of concerns: chronic back pain, crooked eyes, blepharospasm, excess sweating, and deeply-furrowed facial wrinkles!

Believe in silver linings? The BOTOX story is proof that good things can come from what was once (and is still) feared!

Related Topics:

• Botulism FAQs
• WebMD Video: Protection from E. coli

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