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NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Subtype(s)

  • Botulism
  • Botulism, foodborne
  • Botulism, infant
  • Botulism, other

Clinical Description

An illness resulting from toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum that has infected a wound. Common symptoms are diplopia, blurred vision, and bulbar weakness. Symmetric paralysis may progress rapidly.

Laboratory Criteria For Diagnosis

  • Detection of botulinum toxin in serum, OR
  • Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from wound

Subtype(s) Case Definition

Case Classification

Probable

A clinically compatible case in a patient who has no suspected exposure to contaminated food and who has either a history of a fresh, contaminated wound during the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms, or a history of injection drug use within the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms

Confirmed

A clinically compatible case that is laboratory confirmed in a patient who has no suspected exposure to contaminated food and who has a history of a fresh, contaminated wound during the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms, or a history of injection drug use within the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms

Related Case Definition(s)