Emergency: Severe Food Poisoning: 10 cases of botulism, including 8 hospitalizations and 1 death, linked to dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux

cp_botulisme_230913.pdf

Published on 13 September 2023

Press Contacts

Santé publique France
presse@santepubliquefrance.fr

Stéphanie Champion: 01 41 79 67 48
Marie Delibéros: 01 41 79 69 61
Camille Le Hyaric: 01 41 79 68 64

Health authorities, in collaboration with Santé publique France and the National Botulism Reference Center (Institut Pasteur), recommend that anyone who visited the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar (3 Rue Emile Duployé, 33000 Bordeaux) between Monday, September 4, and Sunday, September 10, 2023, to seek immediate medical attention or call 15 and mention botulism if symptoms appear after visiting the establishment.

All of the individuals involved visited the same restaurant-bar in Bordeaux, the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar, over the past week. At this stage, the suspected food items are canned sardines in oil that were homemade by the restaurant owner and served between September 4 and 10, 2023, at this Bordeaux restaurant.

Botulism is a serious illness (fatal in 5 to 10% of cases) with an incubation period ranging from a few hours to a few days.
Symptoms include, to varying degrees: early gastrointestinal signs that may be fleeting (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea), eye problems (difficulty focusing, blurred or double vision), dry mouth accompanied by difficulty swallowing or even speaking, or neurological symptoms (choking, varying degrees of muscle paralysis). There is usually no fever.

If symptoms occur, seek medical attention immediately or call 15 and mention the possibility of botulism.

What are the possible sources of contamination?

Botulism is a serious neurological condition caused by a highly potent toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It develops particularly in improperly stored foods. In France, the majority of botulism cases result from food poisoning caused by ingesting the toxin produced by C. botulinum in preserved foods that have not undergone a thorough sterilization process: cured meats, deli meats, or homemade or artisanal preserves.

It is the extremely potent toxin it produces that causes the disease.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment for botulism is primarily symptomatic and, in severe cases, requires intensive respiratory care with mechanical ventilation. Administering botulinum antitoxin within hours or the first few days after symptoms begin can help shorten the hospital stay.

The vast majority of patients treated promptly recover without sequelae, but the duration of treatment and convalescence can last several months.