A 40-year-old man, resident in Turin, was affected by botulism after consuming home-prepared mushrooms in oil during a visit to Calabria. When he returned to the city, he began to experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dry mouth and difficulty swallowing. Symptoms that at first may have seemed common to simple food poisoning, but which soon turned out to be much more serious.
The forty-year-old went to the emergency room of the Martini hospital in Turin, where the doctors quickly recognized the signs compatible with botulinum, and immediately transferred him to intensive care. Thanks to the intervention of the Poison Control Center of Pavia, it was possible to administer the life-saving antitoxin and, fortunately, after a few days of hospitalization and progressive improvement, the man was discharged.
Searching for other contaminated jars
The case immediately activated the Hygiene and Public Health Service of the Turin ASL, which started an investigation to trace the other jars of mushrooms in oil prepared at the same time.
The jars, five in total, had been distributed to relatives in Calabria, Sardinia and Piedmont. Fortunately, the alarm allowed the products to be intercepted before they could cause further cases of poisoning.
Fortunately this time it went well, but the risk should never be underestimated: it is essential to always pay the utmost attention when preparing preserves at home.
Tips for the safe preparation of mushrooms in oil
Botox (Clostridium botulinum) is a bacterium that can develop in anaerobic conditions, such as those typical of preserves in oil, producing a potentially lethal toxin. The danger increases when sterilization procedures are not followed correctly.
According to the ISS guidelines, to reduce the risk of botulism in homemade vegetable preserves it is essential to follow these simple steps:
By scrupulously following these steps you guarantee a safe product, drastically reducing the risk of botulism and preserving the taste and quality of the mushrooms in oil.
Sources: Torino Today / ISS
