title: Botulism in children: a diagnostic dilemma in developing countries.
abstract: Botulism is a well-known disease of the neuromuscular junction. It is a rare but curable cause of paralysis in paediatric population. In addition to classical clinical signs and symptoms, the diagnosis of botulism requires laboratory confirmation of intoxication by various biological tests. These include demonstration of botulinum toxin in serum or isolation of the Clostridium botulinum from stool/gastric aspirates. However, it is not always possible to confirm intoxication due to unavailability of technical facilities, especially in resource limited countries like Pakistan. Under these circumstances, electrophysiological studies serve as an excellent diagnostic tool. These studies can provide quick diagnosis of botulism so that early administration of botulism immunoglobulin, if available, can reduce morbidity, mortality and length of stay in hospital. We report a case of botulism from Pakistan diagnosed on the basis of electrophysiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. rehan.khan@aku.edu
authors.forename: Muhammad Rehan
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Prem Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
authors.forename: Shahnaz Hamid
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Anwarul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haque
mesh_terms: D001906:Botulism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000503:physiopathology; D020511:Neuromuscular Junction Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010154:Pakistan