NEWS

Ohio botulism outbreak could be largest in decades

Jessie Balmert

Severe botulism, the kind that officials suspect killed one person and sent more than a dozen to the hospital in Lancaster this week, is extremely rare, but proper food safety can help keep people safe from all types of bacteria.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a nerve toxin produced by bacteria. At least 18 cases of suspected botulism were linked to a Sunday potluck at a Lancaster church. That's a huge spike from last year when only two cases of food-borne botulism were reported statewide; both were in Hamilton County, Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Michelle LoParo said.

Nationwide, 160 cases of botulism and one related death were reported in 2012, the most recent figures available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three-fourths of those cases involved infants; only 25 cases involved food-borne botulism — the suspected cause of illness in Lancaster.

The incident is likely one of the largest U.S. outbreaks in decades. In 1983, 28 people were hospitalized with botulism in Peoria, Illinois, after eating onions on patty-melt sandwiches. In 1978, 34 people became sick with the illness after eating potato or bean salad at a New Mexico restaurant. In 1977, 58 people had botulism after eating home-canned peppers at a Michigan restaurant.

Botulism comes from a group of rod-shaped bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, which can be found in soil and grows best in low-oxygen environments. The bacteria form spores that release a toxin, making people sick. Food infected with the bacteria will not smell or look different, said Shannon Carter, a family and consumer sciences educator at the Ohio State University Extension Office in Fairfield County.

"There's no way to tell and that is the hard part," Carter said.

Symptoms of botulism include double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness. They typically begin 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food, according to the CDC. Severe botulism can lead to respiratory failure and death.

The most susceptible individuals are children, older adults, pregnant women and the chronically ill, Carter said.

Most cases of food-borne botulism are linked to home-canned foods with low acid content, according to the CDC. Of the four outbreaks reported in 2012, one came from home-canned beets, another from home-canned pasta with meat sauce and two from pruno, an illicit alcohol brewed by prisoners. The state health department and Fairfield Department of Health are working together to determine the source of the botulism outbreak in Lancaster.

Food like vegetables, meat and soups are more susceptible to contamination because they have less acid. The only way to keep those foods safe during the home-canning process is to use a pressure canner, which can reach 240 degrees to destroy spores. Canning in a water bath, which is fine for fruit or jams, will not keep low-acid food safe, Carter said.

In addition to pressure canning, individuals should boil home-canned food for 20 minutes before serving them, Carter said.

Carter also advised against following grandma's recipe for canning because food has changed over the years. For example, tomatoes and vinegar are less acidic than they were decades ago, so cooks might have to add lemon juice to keep recipes safe.

"We need to use current recipes for home-canned foods that have been tested rigorously," Carter said.

Canned products purchased at a store are less likely to cause botulism because commercial canners reach higher temperatures and are less susceptible to human error, Carter said. However, consumers still should check cans before using them and toss any products that are bulging, swollen or out-of-date, she added.

Given how rare botulism is, potluck attendees are much more likely to go home with a stomachache from E.coli, Salmonella or Listeria. But those bacteria can be prevented by keeping food properly heated or cooled.

Food should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours to avoid bacteria. The food danger zone is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so hot food should be kept warmer than 140 degrees and cold food should be kept cooler than 40 degrees, Carter said. On a hot summer day, food should not be left outside for more than one hour, she advised.

"Bacteria multiplies rapidly in that danger zone," Carter said. A food-safe thermometer is the only way to know for certain how warm or cold the food is.

Other food safety tips:

• Avoid cross-contamination of raw meat and other food such as vegetables. Use a different cutting board or be sure to wash the whole area thoroughly.

• Cook food at proper temperatures. Meats should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

• Never taste food to see if it is safe, especially if it comes from a container that is leaking, has bulges or looks damaged.

• Wash your hands before cooking and eating.

jbalmert@gannett.com

740-328-8548

Twitter: @jbalmert

Want to learn more about safe home canning?

Family and Consumer Sciences at Ohio State University has a number of videos about best practices for home canning. Check them out at http://fcs.osu.edu/food-safety/home-food-preservation.