Foodborne illnesses can have very serious complications. When certain food poisonings occur, not only does the victim suffer from an initial bout of symptoms, sometimes long lasting fatal complications can result. The following is a list of a few bacteria linked to foodborne illnesses and some of the related complications.   Clostridium Botulinum: Clostridium Botulinum causes botulism food poisoning.... [more]

Clostridium botulinum spores when ingested, lead to botulism food poisoning. According to Colorado State University’s Extension Service Botulism Fact Sheet written by Professor P. Kendall, there are four types of botulism: foodborne, infant, wound, and undetermined. Foodborne botulism results when eating food that has not been properly refrigerated or preserved. Botulism spores, which are not killed... [more]

I received some home raised honey as a gift this weekend. In our neck of the woods, many people raise bees and collect the honey. Nothing unusual there. What was unique was the warning. I took this photo with my iPhone and was curious as to what was the catalyst for the warning.  According to WebMD’s eMedicine cite, infant botulism is a unique form of  food poisoning. Children under twelve months... [more]

Infant botulism, one of the four forms of botulism, was first recognized in 1976. Infant botulism affects infants under 12 months of age. This type of botulism is caused by the ingestion of Clostridium botulinum spores which colonize and produce a very potent toxin in the under developed intestinal tract of infants. Of the various potential environmental food sources, honey is the one dietary reservoir... [more]