Rivista di formazione e aggiornamento professionale del pediatra e del medico di base, fondata nel 1982. In collaborazione con l'Associazione Culturale Pediatri.
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Un caso di botulismo infantile. Non è sempre colpa del miele

Infant Botulism: a case report

Umberto Gasperoni1, Federica Acone1, Francesco Morandi2, Alessandra Lazzerotti3
1Scuola di Specializzazione in Pediatria, Università di Milano-Bicocca
2Pediatria, Presidio Ospedaliero di Merate
3Fondazione IRCCS “San Gerardo dei Tintori”, Università di Milano-Bicocca

Giugno 2024 | DOI: 10.53126/MEBXXVIIGU101

Abstract
A 6-month-old infant had been presenting with weak sucking and reduced spontaneous limb movements for a week. He had constipation problems for 4 days followed by hard stool. Upon admission, blood tests including metabolic screening and instrumental investigations were performed. Upon further inquiry into the family history, it was discovered that the father works as a mason. Due to suspicion of infant botulism, the Poison Control Center Unit of Pavia was contacted, and a faecal sample was sent to the Brescia Zooprophylactic Institute, which tested positive for Clostridium bacteria that produce botulinum toxin subtype B. The infant did not require respiratory or nutritional support. Antitoxin therapy was not initiated, and the infant was discharged upon negative test results. Botulism is a neuroparalytic disease characterized by acute symmetric descending flaccid paralysis caused by neurotoxin. The pathogenetic mechanism involves the botulinum toxin inhibiting the formation of the SNARE complex, crucial for the release of neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction.
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