Botulism is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention. Dial 999 for an ambulance if you suspect that you, or someone you know, has symptoms of botulism.
Food-borne botulism
The symptoms of food-borne botulism usually begin with:
It usually takes 12 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food for more serious neurological symptoms (symptoms that affect the nervous system) to begin (see below). However, it can sometimes take as little as six hours or as long as eight days.
If you have consumed (eaten or drunk) a large amount of the toxin produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria, you may not experience these early symptoms. Instead, you may develop neurological symptoms straight away.
Wound botulism
Following the initial infection, symptoms of wound botulism take between 4 and 14 days to develop.
The symptoms start in the cranial nerves (nerves that connect your brain to your spine) before spreading through your body as the toxins take effect.
Neurological symptoms
Neurological symptoms of food-borne botulism and wound botulism are the same. However, in cases of wound botulism, symptoms can take longer to develop.
Neurological symptoms include:
As the toxin spreads, you will have weakness and paralysis in your upper limbs. If the toxin is allowed to keep spreading, your breathing will be affected and you will eventually have respiratory failure, resulting in death.
Your sensory awareness (your awareness of the world around you) will be unaffected. There are also no symptoms of fever, such as a high temperature, during a botulism infection.
Infant botulism
The symptoms of infant botulism usually begin with constipation. This may last for several days before the baby starts to have neurological symptoms such as:
- an inability to suck
- a floppy head
- floppy muscles
- weak crying
- tiredness
- irritability
- poor reflexes
- heavy eyelids and flat, unfocused eyes
