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Botulism (Clostridium botulinum)
1990 Case Definition

NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Subtype(s)

  • Botulism, foodborne
  • Botulism, infant
  • Botulism, wound
  • Botulism, other

Subtype(s) Case Definition  

Botulism, foodborne

Clinical Description

Ingestion of botulinal toxin results in an illness of variable severity. Common symptoms are diplopia, blurred vision, and bulbar weakness. Symmetric paralysis may progress rapidly.

Laboratory Criteria for Diagnosis

  • Detection of botulinal toxin in serum, stool, or patient's food, OR
  • Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from stool

Case Classification

Confirmed

A clinically compatible illness that is laboratory confirmed or that occurs among persons who ate the same food as persons with laboratory-confirmed botulism

Comments

Botulism may be diagnosed without laboratory confirmation if the clinical and epidemiologic evidence is overwhelming.

Botulism, infant

Clinical Description

An illness of infants, characterized by constipation, poor feeding, and "failure to thrive" that may be followed by progressive weakness, impaired respiration, and death.

Laboratory Criteria for Diagnosis

  • Detection of botulinal toxin in stool, OR
  • Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from stool

Case Classification

Confirmed

A clinically compatible, laboratory-confirmed illness occurring among children less than 1 year of age

Botulism, wound

Clinical Description

An illness resulting from toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum that has infected a wound.

Laboratory Criteria for Diagnosis

  • Detection of botulinal toxin in serum, OR
  • Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from wound

Case Classification

Confirmed

A clinically compatible illness that is laboratory confirmed among patients with no suspect food exposure and with a history of a fresh, contaminated wound in the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms

Botulism, other

Clinical Description

See Botulism, foodborne.

Laboratory Criteria for Diagnosis

  • Detection of botulinal toxin in clinical specimen, OR
  • Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from clinical specimen

Case Classification

Confirmed

An illness clinically compatible with botulism that is laboratory confirmed among patients greater than 11 months of age, without histories of ingestion of suspect food, and without wounds




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