Abstract

MORENO, Emilia; PANNOCCHIA, Cecilia  and  CARRICONDO, Concepción. Traumatic wound botulism. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2014, vol.112, n.2, pp.e50-e52. ISSN 0325-0075.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5546/aap.2014.e50.

Botulism is a rare illness caused by a potent neurotoxin produced by the bacterium of the Clostridium family. Clostridium botulinum is the most frequent one, but Clostridium baratti and Clostridium butyricum are also neurotoxins producers. There are seven neurotoxins types, A to G; A, B, E, F and G cause human botulism. Every neurotoxin type blocks cholinergic transmission at the myoneural junction. The least frequent syndrome results from Clostridium botulinum colonization of a wound and it is clinically similar to the other botulism syndromes, but with fever due to an infected wound. Disease should be suspected in lucid patient with a symmetric descending, flaccid paralysis. This syndrome appears within the first twenty days, but it could be present for weeks or months before the disease is diagnosed. This disease is poorly known, so to be diagnosed it requires a high index of suspicion. The treatment is a supportive one; administration of the specific antitoxin must be early in order to neutralize the toxin before the debridement and cleaning of the infected wound.

Keywords : Botulism; Wound botulism; Clostridium botulinum.

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