title: Two cases of type A infant botulism in Grenoble, France: no honey for infants.
abstract: We report two severe cases of infant botulism diagnosed at Grenoble University Hospital, France, respectively in 2006 and 2009. Both cases were characterized by a delay in diagnosis, severe neurological manifestations and extended period of hospitalization in intensive care unit, but a complete recovery. Infant botulism is a rare but life-threatening disease. It primarily affects infants, and the main risk factor is honey ingestion. Diagnosis should be systematically evoked by pediatricians in infants suffering from constipation, fatigue, muscle weakness, difficult feeding and altered cry, but before the onset of generalized flaccid paralysis, so as to administer specific treatment (BabyBIG®, a human derived botulinum antitoxin) at an early stage of the disease when it is most effective. In conclusion, parents should be aware of the role of honey as a source of spores of Clostridium botulinum and therefore infant botulism in the first year of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, CHU Grenoble, Grenoble 38043, France. ghoarau@chu-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: Gautier
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hoarau
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pelloux
authors.forename: Armelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gayot
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wroblewski
authors.forename: Michel-Robert
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Popoff
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazuet
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurin
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Croizé
mesh_terms: D001906:Botulism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D047013:Clostridium botulinum type A / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005602:France; D006722:Honey / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant