Volume 10, Number 9—September 2004
Research
Foodborne Botulism in the United States, 1990–2000
Jeremy Sobel*
, Nicole Tucker*, Alana Sulka*, Joseph McLaughlin*†1, and Susan Maslanka*
, Nicole Tucker*, Alana Sulka*, Joseph McLaughlin*†1, and Susan Maslanka*Table 3
Foodborne botulism events, United States, 1990–2000a
| Type of processing/food | No. eventsb | No. cases |
|---|---|---|
| Noncommercial,home canned | ||
| Asparagus | 9 | 14 |
| Squash | 1 | 2 |
| Peppers | 2 | 4 |
| Corn | 1 | 1 |
| Beans | 2 | 3 |
| Pumpkin | 1 | 1 |
| Greens | 2 | 2 |
| Tomato juice | 1 | 1 |
| Olives | 4 | 4 |
| Beets | 3 | 6 |
| Not specified | 3 | 4 |
| Vegetables, no further specificity | 3 | 3 |
| Mushrooms | 2 | 2 |
| Soup, no further specificity | 1 | 2 |
| Stew, no further specificity | 1 | 3 |
| Potatoes | 1 | 1 |
| Tuna | 2 | 4 |
| Eggplant | 1 | 2 |
| Turnips | 1 | 1 |
| Carrots | 1 | 3 |
| Eggs | 1 | 1 |
| Chiles | 1 | 1 |
| Pickles | 1 | 1 |
| Garlic in oil | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 47 | 70 |
| Noncommercial, not home canned | ||
| Sausage | 2 | 3 |
| Salsa | 2 | 2 |
| Potato salad | 2 | 3 |
| Bread pudding | 1 | 1 |
| Liver paté | 1 | 1 |
| Soup, no further specificity | 4 | 4 |
| Beef chili | 1 | 2 |
| Meatballs and sauce | 1 | 1 |
| Roast beef | 1 | 1 |
| Apple pie | 1 | 1 |
| Potatoes | 3 | 3 |
| Hamburger | 1 | 1 |
| Pickled herring | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 21 | 27 |
| Commercial | ||
| Salted,uneviscerated fish (mohola) | 1 | 3 |
| Palani (surgeon fish) | 1 | 3 |
| Burrito | 1 | 1 |
| Clam chowder | 1 | 2 |
| Bean dip | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 10 |
| Restaurant-made | ||
| Cheese sauce | 1 | 8 |
| Skordalia potato dip | 1 | 17 |
| Total | 2 | 25 |
| Other | ||
| Peyote tea | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown | 25 | 26 |
| Total, contiguous states and Hawaii | 102 | 160 |
| Alaska | ||
| Noncommercial | ||
| Seal oil | 14 | 20 |
| Fish eggs | 7 | 18 |
| Fermented sea mammals | 11 | 21 |
| Fermented fish | 14 | 28 |
| Mixed ingredients | 3 | 5 |
| Total | 49 | 92 |
| Unknown | 913 | 11 |
| Total, Alaska | 58 | 103 |
| Total, United States | 160 | 263 |
aFoods were implicated either by isolation of toxin from the food or by epidemiologic investigation without laboratory confirmation.
bEvent was defined as a sporadic case or outbreak of >2 related cases.
