Botulism in conservation: signs and methods of identification. Botulism: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention

Botulism in conservation, the signs of which can be seen at first glance is very difficult, can seriously affect human health and, in many cases, lead to death. The microbe that causes its development can develop well even without air. That is why most often this terrible diagnosis can be obtained after eating canned food. The insidiousness of botulism lies in the fact that very often its symptoms resemble a simple poisoning and the correct diagnosis is not made immediately. At this time, the disease can affect the human brain and lead to irreversible consequences. Questions about what botulism, signs of botulism, treatment and diagnosis of this disease will be discussed in detail in our article.

In order to protect yourself from infection, it must always be remembered that, in addition to conservation, a microbe can get to a person after eating milk, meat and even vegetables, if they have not undergone proper heat treatment.

Botulism: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention of botulism

This disease has an infectious origin and its causative agent is a microbe (Clostridium botullini), which is able to reproduce even in the absence of oxygen. Getting into the body, he begins to produce a special poison - botulinum toxin, which is 400 000 times stronger and more dangerous than a biting rattlesnake. Botulism, in the conservation of its characteristics is very difficult to recognize, is capable of damaging the human brain and causing paralysis of absolutely all muscles in the body.

Symptoms of this disease are very similar to the usual alcohol or food poisoning. Botulism may be accompanied by:

• Nausea;
• Pain in the abdomen;
• Vomiting;
• Diarrhea.

Specific symptoms

The first signs may occur between 2 and 24 hours after ingestion of contaminated food. Body temperature increases, but slightly. When you contact a doctor with such complaints, the patient can often be exposed to the wrong diagnosis - namely, food poisoning. It should be noted that canned food, which can cause botulism, is often used as a snack when consuming alcoholic beverages. Therefore, the resulting nausea, vomiting, diarrhea can be perceived as symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

If no measures are taken in time, the microbe that enters the body begins its toxic effect. A person can have new, specific syndromes:

• A feeling of dryness in the mouth;
• Blurred vision;
• Difficulty swallowing;
• Change of voice;
• Severe weakness;
• Change of speech.

Due to the fact that botulinum toxin begins to act on nerve endings and eye muscles, in some cases strabismus may occur. When these symptoms appear, the doctor should be called very quickly.

Mandatory hospitalization for suspected botulism

Botulism, in the conservation of its signs can be completely invisible, getting into the body, can very quickly hit the nervous system and lead to irreversible consequences. For this reason, with the slightest suspicion of being infected with botulism, the patient is hospitalized in a hospital. In the hospital, the first tests are done to determine the blood Clostridium botullini and in order not to aggravate the situation, without waiting for their results, begin to take appropriate measures. First of all, it is necessary to detoxify the body and for this purpose, the procedure for purifying the stomach is urgently performed. The patient is given a large amount of laxative in order to speed up the passage of stool and thus reduce intestinal intoxication.

If a person has a disturbed swallowing function, then they begin to feed through the probe. It is very important that the patient does not have a breathing disorder. In the case of pulmonary spasm, a person is connected to an artificial ventilation device.

After the results of the tests determine the type of toxin, the patient is promptly injected with anti-botulinum serum. With timely treatment in a medical institution and with properly administered treatment, a full recovery occurs in 3 weeks.

How to recognize the danger in conservation

Unfortunately, there is still no unambiguous answer to the question of how to determine if botulism is in conservation. Sometimes you can get infected with this disease after using conservation, which had absolutely no signs that something is wrong with it. The fact is that the microbe that provokes the development of the disease often lives in the soil and its spores are very tenacious and resistant to external factors. If at least one small grain of sand from this contaminated soil remains on the berry, vegetable or fruit that was used to prepare the preservation, then the infection of a person after he has consumed such a product will be inevitable.

Signs of botulism in conservation can sometimes be seen simply impossible, it does not affect the taste, smell or color of the product. Externally, the tin can not be deformed, but, alas, this does not always mean that the product in it is safe.

External signs

Despite the fact that there is no precise instruction how to recognize the signs of botulism in conservation, there are certain tips that will help to avoid the danger of infection:

• Never buy home conservation from strangers;
• Do not buy canned food in deformed jars;
• If the lid on conservation is swollen - do not use the product for food;
• If the blanks are clouding the liquid, the formation of strange flakes, the growth of mushrooms - no regrets, throw away such canned food.

Correct heat treatment

In fact, it is very difficult to kill the bacterium of botulism at home. Even if you boil the product at a temperature of 100 ° C, you can not get a guarantee that it will die. In the conditions of industrial production, many products before conservation, especially meat and fish, undergo prolonged processing in autoclaves. But, in any case, at home preservation can sterilization should last no less than 15 minutes.

If, after all, the preservation is carried out at home, it is necessary to boil for at least 20 minutes before wrapping it with a lid. Also, after the workpiece has been opened, it can be re-boiled before use.

Vinegar and salt - assistants in the fight against botulism

One way to protect against botulism is to add to the preservation of table vinegar. It is believed that acetic acid is able to level Clostridium botullini. For this reason it is very important to strictly adhere to the formula and observe the specified amount of vinegar and salt when canning. Especially this product is recommended to be added when harvesting vegetables that do not contain their own acid (cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, squash).

How to protect yourself from disease

Indeed, the terrible consequences on human health can affect this rare disease - botulism. The rules of conservation and the precautionary measures that must be observed during the preparation of blanks can save you from unpleasant problems:

• Do not use metal covers;
• Do not shorten the time of sterilization;
• If air bubbles form in the contents of the jar or strange opacities appear, immediately dispose of such a preparation;
• In any case, do not eat canned food with a bloated lid (this may indicate that during cooking, the heat treatment technique was broken);
• When preserving any products, especially mushrooms, clean and wash them thoroughly.

Botulism in conservation, the symptoms of which are almost invisible, is terrible because there are no vaccinations from it, and the body does not work out immunity against its germs at all. In the context of this disease, human health depends solely on its responsibility and eating proven foods.