Infant botulism in Costa Rica: first report from Central America

Abstract

Introduction: Clostridium botulinum is known to cause descending paralysis in infants throughout the world. Methodology: The subject of this study was a three-month-old Costa Rican boy who was hospitalized because of poor suction and feeding, hypotonia, and constipation. Clinical history and physical examination findings suggested infant botulism. Samples were sent to the Winnipeg Public Health Laboratory, where Clostridium botulinum toxin A was identified by PCR and culture from the stools, making this the first report of infant botulism in Central America. Conclusions: Although infant botulism is a known disease, the limitations in identifying it in Central America contributes to the misdiagnosis and under-reporting of this disease.

Keywords

• infant botulism
• Clostridium botulinum
• epidemiology
• Costa Rica
• Central America
• Latin America