Top 4 food groups that can easily cause Botulinum poisoning warned by WHO, all familiar dishes to Vietnamese people

Recently, our country has had many cases of poisoning related to Botulinum. However, many people still do not know how dangerous this toxin is and what foods it is often found in to avoid it.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (C.botulinum). This is a gram-positive, anaerobic, rod-shaped, hairy, and mobile bacterium. They are strictly anaerobic, sporulate, and cause disease by exotoxin. In particular, their spores can survive in most environments and are very difficult to destroy.

Botulinum is an extremely terrible poison, especially a very high neurotoxicity. Even a very small amount of the toxin can cause poisoning, endangering life. Specifically, 1mg can kill 200 million mice and less than 0.000001g can kill a person, 1kg can kill 1 billion people.

There are 7 different types of botulinum toxins, from A to G. Of these, 4 types commonly cause poisoning in humans: A, B, E and F. Humans are often poisoned by botulinum by eating improperly processed foods, causing bacteria or spores to multiply and produce toxins. In addition, botulinum poisoning can also occur due to inhalation of gas or wound infection.

 Fermented vegetables are a common route for botulinum toxin to enter the body.

Below are 4 food groups that can easily cause Botulinum poisoning.

• Worryingly, botulinum toxin can easily 'hide' in many foods , our daily familiar dishes. WHO has issued a warning about 4 food groups that are most likely to cause botulinum poisoning in humans, including:
• Canned and prepackaged foods : due to the characteristics of anaerobic and spore-forming environments, and the ease of contamination during production, transportation, and storage, botulinum toxin can easily exist in canned and sealed foods. Especially meat, fish, canned milk, cheese, seafood, etc.
• Processed meat products : whether canned or not, processed meats are considered one of the top ideal environments for C. botulinum bacteria to grow and cause harm to humans. Meanwhile, we often consume ham, sausages, ham, etc.
• Fermented vegetables : Fermentation is a very popular method of processing or preserving vegetables, especially in Asian countries. For example: pickles, pickled eggplants, kimchi, natto. However, fermented vegetables can also easily become a way for botulinum toxin to penetrate and cause harm to humans. Especially if the fermentation process is not hygienic or left for too long.
• Food that is not cooked before eating or cooked but left for a long time leading to spoilage can also cause poisoning . Or when you package food at home, especially if it is not processed thoroughly or stored in the refrigerator incorrectly, it can easily cause botulinum poisoning.

In addition, bacteria or spores of C.botulinum can also exist in the intestines of fish and livestock. Therefore, if you eat dishes made from this ingredient that are not fully cooked, raw or rare, the possibility of botulinum poisoning is very high.