Infant botulism acquired from household dust presenting as sudden infant death syndrome.

Abstract

Clostridium botulinum type B was detected by multiplex PCR in the intestinal contents of a suddenly deceased 11-week-old infant and in vacuum cleaner dust from the patient's household. C. botulinum was also isolated from the deceased infant's intestinal contents and from the household dust. The genetic similarity of the two isolates was demonstrated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, thereby confirming that dust may act as a vehicle for infant botulism that results in sudden death.

• Authors: Mari Nevas, Miia Lindström, Antti Virtanen, Sebastian Hielm, Markku Kuusi, Stephen S Arnon, Erkki Vuori, Hannu Korkeala
• Journal: Journal of clinical microbiology (J Clin Microbiol) Vol. 43 Issue 1 Pg. 511-3 (Jan 2005) ISSN: 0095-1137 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15635031 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Dust
• rimabotulinumtoxinB
• Botulinum Toxins
• Botulinum Toxins, Type A

Topics

• Botulinum Toxins (genetics)
• Botulinum Toxins, Type A
• Botulism (complications, microbiology)
• Clostridium botulinum (classification, genetics, isolation & purification)
• Dust (analysis)
• Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
• Housing
• Humans
• Infant
• Intestines (microbiology)
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
• Sudden Infant Death (etiology)