U.S. probes into infant botulism outbreak linked to contaminated formula

Los Angeles [California], November 11: An investigation is underway after 10 U.S. states reported infant botulism cases potentially linked to a contaminated infant formula, according to local media reports on Monday citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of Nov. 8, 13 infants with suspected or confirmed infant botulism have been reported, all of whom had consumed ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula, which may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, according to epidemiologic data, the CDC said.
The onset of illness ranged from mid-August to November, the agency said, adding that all the affected infants, aged between 16 days and 157 days, were hospitalized and treated with BabyBIG, an intravenous medication used to treat infant botulism caused by toxin types A or B in children under 1 year of age.
No deaths have been reported, the CDC said, and health officials in several states have collected leftover formula from affected households for laboratory testing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended ByHeart to conduct a voluntary recall given the number of cases, severity of illness, and the strong epidemiologic signal, and the company agreed to recall two lots of its Whole Nutrition infant formula.
According to the CDC, symptoms of infant botulism often include constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, and difficulty swallowing, and may take several weeks to appear after ingestion of contaminated formula.
Source: Xinhua News Agency