The risk with botulism isn't the infection from the organisms, its the toxin they produce at certain temperatures and oxygen levels.
Aside from small children, pretty much all cases of botulism come from improperly cooked food that had too much botulinum toxin on it which wasn't broken down by the heat of cooking, the person then ingests this neurotoxin and bad things follow. The actual parasite isn't broken down by the cooking through so you regularly consume Clostridium botulinum but your body doesn't provide it the right environment to make botulinum toxin in so its fine
Honey is a concern for small children because their body doesn't have all the defenses lined up so the Clostridium botulinum can setup shop in their intestines such that it produces the toxin and causes serious problems. It can happen in adults and is called "adult intestinal toxemia" but is listed as extremely rare
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Also avoid giving babies water.
In clinic we have had caring grandmothers giving formula fed babies extra water, "because they are thirsty". Babies don't have very good control over what they absorb, so all of their electrolytes become out of whack. This can lead to a very bad situation for the infant.
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At what age is it safe to give a baby water?
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electrolytes
So give them Brawndo
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This is good advice! Also its really easy to overfeed babies because if you give them liquid they will drink it.
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How did humans survive for this long?
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This is also why you don't let babies run marathons.
Wait, no, I screwed that up.
Running marathons can also screw up your electrolyte balance based on your water intake.
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but electrolytes are what plants crave...
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Infant botulism (also referred to as floppy baby syndrome)
Why would you call something that?
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Cause how the muscles react to the toxin. They become flaccid and non rigid, thus the name.
Botulism is the opposite of Tetanus. Both of them are from the genus clostridium
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It sounds funny... I almost laughed and then realized how horrible that makes me :(
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"Honey never spoils!"
"That's my secret... I was always spoiled."
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Fun fact about the Botulinum toxin (produced the bacteria Clostridium botulinum) - It's the most potent toxin we know of, it's claimed a teaspoon would be enough to kill every human on the planet.
Fun fact #2 it's also the key ingredient in Botox injections.
That's right folks.
Discover most deadly toxin
Inject in face
Something something human race
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It's not spoiled. And honey doesn't spoil as long as it's kept free from moisture.
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Babies are also a natural reservoir for bacteria so one would think they would get along.
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I second this. My 7 month old is constantly slimy and gross.
Most botulism is from ingestion of pre-formed botulinum toxin, which you get by eating foods that have acted as a culture medium to grow large amounts of C. botulinum.
Infant botulism is caused by ingesting C. botulinum spores (a dormant and very hardy form of the bacteria that can be throught of like a seed or an egg from which a mature and active bacterium can grow). These spores can occasionally be found in honey. In infant botulism, C. botulinum grows inside the body and continues to produce its toxin from inside the gut. This is more serious than just eating preformed toxin, because it keeps happening as long as the bacteria are present.
So why does this only happen in babies? The adult gut is so full of gut bacteria for there is no "room" for C. botulinum to grow and thrive. C. botulinum would be crowded out by commensual bacteria that are much better adapted to live in that particular environment. The infant gut has no bacteria and is therefore more open to the wrong sorts of bacteria moving in and causing problems.
I've never gotten a good answer for this. Every once in a while it gets brought up, or TIL'd, or a new parent will 'educate' me etc.
i'm not questioning that it DOES contain the spores, I just can't figure out why. Most websites just state the fact that honey contains the spores, a few say that the spores can contaminate the honey... well they can probably contaminate any old food right? what is the connection? I feel like I'm missing some piece of info that makes it all click.
I would appreciate any insights! Thanks.