INVESTIGADORES
BIANCO Maria Isabel
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Occurrence of infant botulism in Argentina and its relation with presence of Clostridium botulinum in soil
Autor/es:
LUQUEZ C, BIANCO MI, SAGUA MD, DE JONG LIT, DEGARBO SM, FERNÁNDEZ RA.
Lugar:
Mendoza
Reunión:
Otro; XXIII Reunión Científica Anual Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2005
Resumen:
Infant botulism has presently become the most common form of botulism. However, its transmission has not been completely elucidated. The main aim of this work was to assess the occurrence of infant botulism in Argentina and its relation with presence of C. botulinum (Cb) in the soil. In Argentina 366 infant botulism cases were reported between 1982 and 2004. The average annual incidence was 2.1 per 100,000 live births. In our laboratory, 97 cases of infant botulism were confirmed by the bioassay method. Type A was identified in all cases. Cultures were positive in all stool specimens. Botulinum neurotoxin testing was positive for 75.6% (59/78) of sera and 97.8% (90/92) of stool specimens. A correlation between incidence of infant botulism and prevalence of  C. botulinum in soils was observed in Western (Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis) and Northeastern (Chaco, Corrientes, Formosa, and Misiones) regions. Moreover, type A was the most prevalent in soil (60.02%) and it was detected in all infant botulism cases, indicating an association between the distribution of spore type in soil and causative toxin type of infant botulism. Biochemical test, antimicrobial susceptibility, and hemagglutinin-positive botulinum neurotoxin production showed uniformity among strains isolated from cases and soil samples.