Botulism in Bordeaux: one dead, several victims hospitalized… what do we know about this serious poisoning

This is an “exceptional” situation, health authorities acknowledge. Although between 20 and 30 cases of foodborne botulism are reported a year in France, ten of them were reported after visiting the same establishment last week. In Bordeaux, several people were hospitalized, one of them died. We take stock.

How many victims are there?

Ten cases “clinically suggestive of food-borne botulism” were reported to health authorities. Among them, one person died, the General Directorate of Health reported Tuesday evening. Eight people remain hospitalized in Bordeaux and Ile-de-France, seven of them in intensive care or continuous observation. Meanwhile, the last person believed to have been injured has returned abroad.

Benjamin Clouzot, an intensive care physician at CHU Pellegrin, reported on the social network X (formerly Twitter) about a “new case” reported in Spain, “still linked to the outbreak in Bordeaux.”

What’s happened ?

Most of them have foreign citizenship: Americans, Canadians, Germans. They all visited the same bar in Bordeaux, the Tchin Tchin wine bar, last week (Monday 4 September to Sunday 10 September). “The suspected food products at this stage are canned sardines prepared by the restaurateur at home,” the prefecture of New Aquitaine and the Regional Health Agency indicate in a press release.

The departmental department for population protection took samples from the enterprise and recorded all canned food, pending the results of tests for “biological confirmation” of botulism. The establishment remains open but with reduced service (wine and appetizers).

“I confess that I had a batch of sterilized sardines and when I opened it, I had to throw away some that had a strong smell. Others looked healthy and were served to customers,” a restaurant manager told newspaper Sud Ouest, which revealed the information. “I will feel sorry for these clients if it turns out that they got sick at my home. »

What is food botulism?

Foodborne botulism is a rare but potentially fatal neurological disease. It is caused by botulinum neurotoxins, divided into 8 types (from A to H), which affect the nervous system and cause vision problems (double vision), swallowing and/or speech defects, and in advanced forms – paralysis of muscles, especially respiratory, may lead to death.

“Their condition could potentially persist for several weeks,” during which “multiple complications” could arise, warns Benjamin Clouseau, an intensivist at CHU Pellegrin.

How to catch it?

A press release issued by the Prefect of the Gironde recalls that most cases of botulism in France are associated with food poisoning from eating “canned foods that have not undergone an extensive sterilization process: sausages, cold cuts or even canned products.” or handicraft origin. “This appears to be the case at the Bordeaux establishment, where seven patients apparently consumed canned sardines prepared by the restaurateur at home.

What are the symptoms?

The last contaminated meal potentially dates back to Saturday, and other patients could appear within a few days. People experiencing digestive symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting), vision problems, or speech problems after visiting an appropriate facility should contact emergency services as soon as possible to receive antitoxin treatment.