Symptoms of Botulism food poisoning

List of symptoms of Botulism food poisoning:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Botulism food poisoning includes the 44 symptoms listed below:

• Dry mouth
• Dry throat
• Sore mouth and throat
• Blurred vision
• Dilated pupils
• Droopy eyelids
• Headache
• Double vision
• Speech difficulty
• Progressive respiratory paralysis
• Weak grip
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficult breathing
• Major muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Constipation
• Urine retention
• Mild abdominal symptoms - milder than usual in other types of food poisoning.
• Weakness
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Dry mouth
• Dry pharynx
• Urinary retention
• Ileus
• Constipation
• Anticohlinergic symptoms
• Neurological symptoms
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Speaking difficulty
• Swallowing difficulty
• Muscle weakness
• Postural hypotension
• Dilated pupils
• Fixed pupils
• Cranial nerve abnormalities
• Red pharynx
• Impaired deep tendon reflexes

Note that Botulism food poisoning symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Botulism food poisoning signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Botulism food poisoning

Do I have Botulism food poisoning?

• Botulism food poisoning: Introduction
• Botulism food poisoning: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Botulism food poisoning
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Botulism food poisoning
• More about Botulism food poisoning

Wrongly Diagnosed with Botulism food poisoning?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Botulism food poisoning includes:

• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Stroke
• Myasthenia gravis
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Poliomyelitis

See the full list of 14 alternative diagnoses for Botulism food poisoning

More about symptoms of Botulism food poisoning:

More information about symptoms of Botulism food poisoning and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Botulism food poisoning
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Botulism food poisoning
• Underlying causes of Botulism food poisoning
• Risk factors for Botulism food poisoning

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Abdominal pain - see all causes of Abdominal pain
• Blurred vision - see all causes of Blurred vision
• Blurred vision - see all causes of Blurred vision
• Constipation - see all causes of Constipation
• Constipation - see all causes of Constipation
• Diarrhea - see all causes of Diarrhea
• Difficult breathing - see all causes of Breathing difficulties
• Difficulty swallowing - see all causes of Swallowing difficulty
• Dilated pupils - see all causes of Dilated pupils
• Dilated pupils - see all causes of Dilated pupils
• Dizziness - see all causes of Dizziness
• Double vision - see all causes of Double vision
• Droopy eyelids - see all causes of Droopy eye-lid
• Dry mouth - see all causes of Dry mouth
• Dry mouth - see all causes of Dry mouth
• Dry throat - see all causes of Dry throat
• Headache - see all causes of Headache
• Headache - see all causes of Headache
• Major muscle weakness - see all causes of Muscle weakness
• Mild abdominal symptoms - see all causes of Digestive symptoms
• Muscle weakness - see all causes of Muscle weakness
• Muscle weakness - see all causes of Muscle weakness
• Nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Neurological symptoms - see all causes of Neurological symptoms
• Paralysis - see all causes of Paralysis symptoms
• Postural hypotension - see all causes of Postural hypotension
• Progressive respiratory paralysis - see all causes of Paralysis symptoms
• Red pharynx - see all causes of Red throat
• Sensitivity to light - see all causes of Photophobia
• Sore mouth and throat - see all causes of Mouth pain
• Speaking difficulty - see all causes of Speaking difficulty
• Speech difficulty - see all causes of Speech symptoms
• Swallowing difficulty - see all causes of Swallowing difficulty
• Urinary retention - see all causes of Urine retention
• Urine retention - see all causes of Urine retention
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting
• Weak grip - see all causes of Hand weakness
• Weakness - see all causes of Weakness

Medical Books Online about Botulism food poisoning

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Botulism food poisoning are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Botulism food poisoning.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Botulism food poisoning: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Botulism food poisoning.

Botulism: Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Dry mouth, sore throat, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, ptosis, diplopia, dysarthria, weakness or paralysis of muscles in trunk or extremities

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Botulism: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The disease usually manifests within 12 to 36 hours (range is 6 hours to 8 days) after the ingestion of contaminated food. The severity varies with the amount of toxin ingested and the patient’s degree of immunocompetence. Generally, early onset (within 24 hours) signals critical and potentially fatal illness. Initial signs and symptoms include dry mouth, sore throat, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The cardinal sign of botulism, though, is acute symmetrical cranial nerve impairment (characterized by ptosis, diplopia, and dysarthria), followed by descending weakness or paralysis of muscles in the extremities or trunk and dyspnea from respiratory muscle paralysis. Such impairment doesn’t affect mental or sensory processes and isn’t associated with fever.

Infant botulism

Usually afflicting infants ages 3 to 20 weeks, infant botulism can produce hypotonic (floppy) infant syndrome, which is characterized by constipation, feeble cry, depressed gag reflex, and inability to suck. Cranial nerve deficits also occur in infants and are manifested by a flaccid facial expression, ptosis, and ophthalmoplegia. Infants also develop generalized muscle weakness, hypotonia, and areflexia. Loss of head control may be striking. Respiratory arrest is likely.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Botulism food poisoning:

FDA Bad Bug Book (Excerpt)

Onset of symptoms in foodborne botulism is usually 18 to 36 hours after ingestion of the food containing the toxin, although cases have varied from 4 hours to 8 days. Early signs of intoxication consist of marked lassitude, weakness and vertigo, usually followed by double vision and progressive difficulty in speaking and swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distention, and constipation may also be common symptoms.

Clinical symptoms of infant botulism consist of constipation that occurs after a period of normal development. This is followed by poor feeding, lethargy, weakness, pooled oral secretions, and wail or altered cry. Loss of head control is striking. Recommended treatment is primarily supportive care. Antimicrobial therapy is not recommended. Infant botulism is diagnosed by demonstrating botulinal toxins and the organism in the infants' stools. 4. Diagnosis of Human Illness: Although botulism can be diagnosed by clinical symptoms alone, differentiation from other diseases may be difficult. The most direct and effective way to confirm the clinical diagnosis of botulism in the laboratory is to demonstrate the presence of toxin in the serum or feces of the patient or in the food which the patient consumed. Currently, the most sensitive and widely used method for detecting toxin is the mouse neutralization test. This test takes 48 hours. Culturing of specimens takes 5-7 days. (Source: FDA Bad Bug Book)

Botulism General: DBMD (Excerpt)

The classic symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles. In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days. (Source: excerpt from Botulism General: DBMD)

Botulism: DBMD (Excerpt)

A neuroparalytic illness characterized by symmetric, descending flaccid paralysis of motor and autonomic nerves, always beginning with the cranial nerves. Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. If untreated, illness might progress to cause descending paralysis of respiratory muscles, arms and legs. (Source: excerpt from Botulism: DBMD)

Botulism food poisoning as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Botulism food poisoning, it is also important to consider Botulism food poisoning as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Botulism food poisoning may cause:

• Blepharoptosis
• Bulbar palsy
• Cranial nerve disorder
• Dysarthria
• Dysphagia
• External ophthalmoplegia
• Food poisoning
• Gram positive bacilli / rods
• Hypotension
• Hypotonic bladder
• Ileus
• Internal ophthalmoplegia
• Muscle weakness
• Xerostomia

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Botulism food poisoning
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Botulism food poisoning
• How serious is Botulism food poisoning?
• More about Botulism food poisoning
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Botulism food poisoning:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Botulism food poisoning. This signs and symptoms information for Botulism food poisoning has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Botulism food poisoning signs or Botulism food poisoning symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Botulism food poisoning may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Botulism food poisoning symptoms.