Infant botulism, type F, presenting at 54 hours of life.
We report a case of botulism in a 54-hour-old infant with rapidly progressive fulminant paralysis and rapid spontaneous recovery atypical for infant botulism. Clostridium baratii and type F botulinum neurotoxin were isolated from the patient's stool. This unique presentation with rapid recovery is consistent with pharmacokinetics of type F botulinum neurotoxin. Interestingly, a muscle biopsy also revealed pathologic changes early in the disease course. This article reports the youngest known case of infant botulism and only the third reported case of this disease caused by type F neurotoxin. Botulism should be considered in patients of any age with subacute or acute neuromuscular weakness.
Keet
Corinne A
CA
University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, 521 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0663, USA.
Fox
Christine K
CK
Margeta
Marta
M
Marco
Elysa
E
Shane
Andi L
AL
Dearmond
Stephen J
SJ
Strober
Jonathan B
JB
Miller
Steven P
SP
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D001906:Botulism / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D047971:Clostridium botulinum type F; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors