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Infant Botulism and Honey1
Malcolm T. Sanford2Medical research has led doctors to conclude that one cause of so-called "crib death" or "sudden infant death syndrome" may in fact be due to infant botulism (food poisoning). A number of public health officials now believe there may be many unrecognized cases of this disease each year, and honey has been implicated as a cause in a few. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, but there have been no cases found in children over 26 weeks old. The Infectious Disease Section and Microbial Diseases Laboratory of the California Department of Health has provided evidence that botulism spores in the infant intestinal tract may produce the growing stage of the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. This in turn manufactures a highly toxic poison. So far, this research indicates no reason why the disease is produced only in infants under seven months old.
Botulism spores are found everywhere in nature. They are not harmful themselves, but in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), the spores germinate and the resultant bacteria produce a powerful poison. This is the reason all canned vegetables are heated prior to packing.
Raw agricultural crops, however, are never heated. And many foods, even if heated or processed, once exposed to the air would be susceptible to re-infestation by botulism spores. Cumulative research to date on infant botulism, therefore, suggests that there is an unknown risk factor in feeding any raw agricultural product, including honey, to infants under one year of age.
Although honey has been blamed as a source of spores in a few infant botulism cases, some medical officials are not totally convinced about its role in the disease. Dr. Roger Feldman of the Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that the data are not yet strong enough for the CDC to issue a warning about honey. But, he said, parents should be aware of the findings so they can make their own decisions. There may be other foods involved and honey may be no risk at all. We just don't known.
These research findings in no way alter many published results that honey is a highly nutritious food source or that it is bactericidal. Only bacterial spores which are highly resistant to environmental stress can exist in honey and they themselves are not harmful. No other disease besides infant botulism has been linked to honey. The risk of this disease appears to be extremely small.
The individual beekeeper can do little except be prepared to responsibly answer questions about infant botulism and honey. In all conscience he/she probably should refrain from advocating the use of honey in the feeding of infants less than one year old. This is something best left to the discretion of the parent and pediatrician. If the beekeeper is a packer or dealer in honey, he/she may profit by looking into the adequacy and his/her product liability insurance. A white paper entitled, "Honey in Relation to Infant Botulism," by E. M. Foster is available from The National Honey Board, 421 21st Avenue Num. 203, Longmont, CO 80501-1421, phone 303/776-2337.
Footnotes
1. This document is ENY128, one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Reviewed May 1, 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. Malcolm T. Sanford, professor, Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
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