infant botulism

Examples of infant botulism in the following topics:

• Botulism

  • The most common form in Western countries is infant botulism.
  • The adult form of infant botulism is termed adult intestinal toxemia, and is exceedingly rare.
  • The only drug currently available to treat infant botulism is Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous-Human (BIG-IV or BabyBIG).
  • BabyBIG was developed by the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program at the California Department of Public Health.
  • Compare and contrast the three major modes of entry for Botulinium toxin (infant botulism or adult intestinal toxemia, foodborne botulism, and wound botulism) and describe its mechanism of action

• Paralysis-Causing Bacterial Neurotoxins

  • Botulinum toxin can cause botulism, a serious and life-threatening illness in humans and animals.
  • Foodborne botulism can be transmitted through food that has not been heated correctly prior to being canned, or food from a can that has not been cooked correctly.
  • Most infant botulism cases cannot be prevented because the bacteria that cause this disease are in soil and dust.
  • Honey can contain the bacteria that cause infant botulism, so children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey.
  • By inhibiting acetylcholine release, the toxin interferes with nerve impulses and causes flaccid (sagging) paralysis of muscles in botulism, as opposed to the spastic paralysis seen in tetanus.

• Paralysis

  • Other major causes are stroke, trauma with nerve injury, poliomyelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), botulism, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  • In an infant, it may be a symptom of congenital syphilis.
  • Ascending paralysis contrasts with descending paralysis, which occurs in conditions such as botulism.

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is not predicted by medical history.
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is not predicted by medical history and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and detailed death scene investigation.
  • The unique signature characteristic of SIDS is its log-normal age distribution that spares infants shortly after birth — the time of maximal risk for almost all other causes of non-trauma infant death.
  • Other notable characteristics are its disproportionate affliction of male infants and the fact that caregivers are unaware in the preceding 24 hours that the infant is at risk of imminent sudden death.
  • Infants sleeping prone or exposed to tobacco smoke are at greater risk than infants sleeping supine or unexposed to tobacco smoke, respectively.

• Fontanels

  • A fontanelle (or fontanel) is an anatomical feature on an infant's skull.
  • This fontanelle usually closes during the first two to three months of an infant's life.
  • The anterior fontanelle is useful clinically, as examination of an infant includes palpating the anterior fontanelle .
  • Parents may worry that their infant may be more prone to injury at the fontanelles.
  • The fontanelles allow the infant brain to be imaged using ultrasonography.

• Bacterial Foodborne Diseases

  • In the past, sporadic cases of botulism, the potentially fatal disease produced by a toxin from the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum, were relatively common.

• Premature Infants

  • Preterm birth causes infants to be at greater risk for complications, disabilities, and impaired growth.
  • Significant progress has been made in the care of premature infants, but not in reducing the prevalence of preterm birth.
  • Preterm birth is among the top causes of death in infants worldwide.
  • Preterm infants usually show physical signs of prematurity in reverse proportion to the gestational age.
  • Describe the risk factors associated with and causes of premature infants

• Infant Industry Argument

  • The infant industry argument is that new industries need protection until they have become efficient enough to compete in the world market.
  • From a broader and more far-reaching perspective, protectionism as a general principle has been heavily criticized (even in infant industry situations).
  • As a result of this, protecting infant industries can benefit the nation employing them, but generally with the opportunity cost of global value.
  • Infant industries generally do not have the capacity to do this.

• The Health of Infants and Children

  • Even with the great advances in childhood health that have occurred in recent decades, many health problems still afflict infant and child populations.
  • Without diagnosis and treatment, about 35% of HIV-infected pregnant women will transmit HIV to their infants.
  • Birth defects are among the leading global causes of infant and child mortality, with an estimated 4.9 million birth defect pregnancies worldwide each year.
  • Improved pre- and post-natal care, as well as more accessible information about infant health, could help reduce the infant mortality rate.
  • This poster from a museum exhibit illustrates how in impoverished communities without access to technologically advanced medical facilities, the first intervention used to reduce rates of infant mortality is often improving sanitation or hygienic standards.

• Adjustments of the Infant at Birth

  • Post birth, an infant's physiology must adapt to breathing independently, changes in blood flow and energy access, and a cold environment.
  • Similarly, an excess substrate can also lead to problems, such as infant of a diabetic mother (IDM), hypothermia, or neonatal sepsis.
  • The newborn's capacity to maintain these mechanisms is limited, especially in premature infants.
  • Infants, especially preterm infants, have trouble regulating their body temperature.