Infant Botulism in Argentina, 1982––1997

The first cases of infant botulism in Argentina were described in 1982. From 1982 to 1997, 146 cases of infant botulism were diagnosed by the identification of botulinal toxin and Clostridium botulinum in feces. The cases were between 2 and 48 weeks of age: 90% were between 5 and 24 weeks old, and 49% were between 5 and 12 weeks old. Of 93 (64%) patients whose sex was reported, 55 (59%) were male and 38 (41%) were female. By season in which illness occurred, 43 (29%) occurred in winter, 43 (29%) in spring, 36 (25%) in summer and 22 (15%) in autumn. The majority of patients lived in suburban or rural areas. All strains isolated belonged to C. botulinum type A, consistent with the predominance of this type in the soils of Argentina.