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Archive Number 20080218.0646
Published Date 18-FEB-2008
Subject PRO> Botulism, canned tomatoes - Russia (02): (Khanty-Mansi)
BOTULISM, CANNED TOMATOES - RUSSIA (02): (KHANTY-MANSI)
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Date: Sat 16 Feb 2008
From: Steve Berger <mberger@post.tau.ac.il>


Re: Botulism, canned tomatoes - Russia: background information
--------------------------------------------------------------
Although botulism is commonly associated with canned foods and 
vegetables, tomatoes are rarely implicated. A single botulism 
outbreak among 116 listed in the Gideon database 
(<http://www.GideonOnline.com>) is ascribed to tomatoes. In fact, 
only 3 papers could be identified through a PubMed search using the 
terms "tomatoes" and "botulism" (1-3). Interestingly, 2 of these 
papers originated in Russia, the country that reported the most 
recent outbreak in ProMED-mail.

One explanation for the relative rarity of botulism in tomatoes is 
related to the acidity of this vegetable. A lowered pH is thought to 
act through 2 mechanisms: enhanced susceptibility of _Clostridium 
botulinum_ spores to heat sterilization, and inhibition of 
germination of surviving spores (4).

References
----------
1. Popugailo VM, Zhuravskaia SP, Iaroshevskaia EE, et al: Cases of 
botulism caused by preserved tomato juice. Gig Sanit 1972; 37: 97-199
2. Shtein A, Voronkin VE, Pakhota VF: Cases of botulism caused by 
domestically preserved tomatoes. Vopr Pitan 1969; 28: 92-3
3. Loutfy MR, Austin JW, Blanchfield B, Fong IW: An outbreak of 
foodborne botulism in Ontario. Can J Infect Dis 2003; 14: 206-9.
4. Bacterial food poisoning and botulism, in: Topley and Wilson's 
Principles of Bacteriology, Virology and Immunity, 6th ed, London, 
Edward Arnold, 1975, pp. 2104-5.

-- 
Dr Steve Berger
Geographic Medicine
Tel Aviv Medical Center
Israel
<mberger@post.tau.ac.il>

[ProMED-mail thanks Dr Berger for his continued contributions. - Mod.LL]

[see also:
Botulism, canned tomatoes - Russia: (Khanty-Mansi) 20080215.0604
Botulism, salted fish - Russia: (Tyumen, Buryatia) 20080211.0548
2007
----
Botulism, canned fish - USA (NY) ex Russia: recall 20070815.2668
Botulism, dried fish, canned vegetables - Russia (Rostov) 20070714.2264
Botulism, canned mushrooms - Russia (Rostov) 20070420.1294
Botulism, canned food - Russia (Dagestan) 20070115.0196
2006
----
Botulism, salted fish - Russia (Buryatiya) 20061215.3527
Botulism - Russia (Rostov) 20061108.3206
Botulism, canned food, fish - Russia (Lipetsk) 20060916.2640
Botulism, mushrooms - Russia (Tambov) 20060819.2317
2005
----
Botulism, salted fish - Russia (Buryatia) 20051014.2998
Botulism, canned food - Russia (Rostov) 20050712.1980
Botulism - Russia (Komi) 20050705.1897
Botulism, canned cucumbers - Russia (Samara) 20050228.0622
Botulism, smoked fish - Russia (Rostov) 20050118.0167
2004
----
Botulism, smoked fish - Russia (Buryatia)(04) 20041028.2914
Botulism, dried fish suspected - Russia (Volgograd) 20040526.1424]
...................................ll/mj/mpp

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