Wound Botulism on the Rise.

There are three types of methods one can acquire botulism; food-borne, intestinal colonization (infant botulism) and wound botulism.  Today we’re going to look at what wound botulism is and why it’s on the rise.

Wound botulism is due to Clostridium Botulinium infecting the wound of a person.  According to the CDC, every year about 20 people are diagnosed with wound botulism.  The majority of these get it from skin popping or muscle popping black tar heroin.  As heroin becomes more widely available the incidence of wound botulism spikes.  Before 1999 there were zero cases of wound botulism reported in the UK and between 2000 and 2002 there were 33 cases reported (Brett M).

Key facts from the CDC:

• You cannot see the germ that causes botulism. Contaminated drugs do not look different from non-contaminated drugs. Lab testing is the only way to tell if your drugs are contaminated with the germ that causes botulism.
• Heating (“cooking”) heroin will not kill the botulism germ. It takes special conditions to kill this germ.
• You cannot get botulism from another person. It is not contagious. But if you share contaminated heroin or equipment (“works”) with another person, both of you might get botulism.

The classic signs and symptoms of botulism include:

• Double vision
• Blurred vision
• drooping eyelids
• slurred speech
• difficulty swallowing
• dry mouth
• muscle weakness (resulting in a flaccid paralysis)

The easiest way to avoid this form of botulism is to not inject illicit drugs.  If you or someone you know would like more information about quitting there is a national help line available 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357).

With wound botulism on the rise it makes me ponder how else this microbe can be used to infect people.  Next week we’ll look at how Clostridium Botulinum might be used as a biological weapon and the implications that associate it.

Botulism. (2017, June 07). Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/wound-botulism.html

Brett, M. M., Hallas, G., & Mpamugo, O. (2004, June 01). Wound botulism in the UK and Ireland. Retrieved October 02, 2017, from http://jmm.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.05379-0