A new suspicion of botulism. Five people are in intensive care at the Tours hospital after ingesting canned wild garlic pesto, announced Patrice Latron, the prefect of Indre-et-Loire, on Tuesday.
In total, 600 jars are being sought across France. A food investigation as well as a judicial inquiry have been opened. What is botulism? What are the symptoms? Which jars are potentially contaminated? We explain everything to you.
What is this disease?
Botulism is a rare and serious neurological condition caused by a very powerful toxin produced by a bacterium that thrives in poorly preserved food due to insufficient sterilization. “The disease usually occurs 12 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated food and causes symptoms of varying severity,” explains the Ministry of Health.
Among them: digestive disorders that can be fleeting, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but also eye damage with a lack of accommodation, blurred or double vision, dry mouth accompanied by a lack of swallowing or even speech or even neurological symptoms such as choking and more or less severe paralysis of the muscles. There is usually no fever. Botulism is fatal in 5 to 10% of cases. “The vast majority of patients treated without delay recover without after-effects, but the duration of treatment and convalescence can last several months,” explains the Ministry of Health.
In France, this disease is rare. Since 1980, between 20 and 30 outbreaks have been affected per year, most often involving one to three patients each. In September 2023, sixteen customers, including a woman who died from it, were identified as “suspected cases of botulism” after eating homemade canned sardines in a tourist restaurant in the center of Bordeaux.
What condition are the patients in?
“Two couples went to the emergency room on Saturday” and a fifth person on Sunday after having participated in the same “birthday meal”, indicated Patrice Latron during a press briefing. The patients, all adults, “are currently in intensive care, conscious, intubated, ventilated” at the Tours hospital, he specified.
“Based on converging evidence,” health authorities suspect cases of botulism linked to the ingestion of “a product called “Ô p’tits Oignons,” which is a wild garlic pesto produced in Touraine,” the prefect added. This product is “strongly suspected of being the cause of this contamination,” which can be fatal, he stressed.
“The leftover food from this meal, and in particular the wild garlic pesto made by a local producer, was sent to the Pasteur Institute for analysis,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement. “The results are expected within two days.” The priority now is to “scientifically validate the botulism hypothesis and then provide them with the best possible treatment,” the prefect insisted.
Which jars are affected?
To prevent others from consuming the product, 600 jars are being sought throughout France. It is therefore a canned wild garlic pesto called “Ô p’tits Oignons”, produced in Touraine and marketed on the occasion of four festivals or fairs organized in the department between the end of March and September, indicated the prefect.
Investigations were carried out with the producer of these preserves by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations of Indre-et-Loire. “Since the artisanal production conditions do not guarantee the sterilization of the jars, a recall of all the jars manufactured was therefore decided immediately as a precaution (all manufacturing dates, all best before dates)”, the Ministry of Health announced.
What should I do if I have these cans?
“People who still have these products are asked not to consume them, not to open them, and to throw them away,” added the prefect.
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People who have consumed this pesto are urged to be extremely vigilant and to consult a doctor if they experience symptoms, mentioning this alert.