Woman dies of botulism after eating sardines at Bordeaux wine bar | World News
A woman has died of botulism after allegedly eating sardines at a wine bar in France.
The 32-year-old woman died in Paris on Thursday after dining at the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar in Boredaux, France, on Sunday.
12 other people are in hospital – seven are in intensive care.
Botulism is a rare, life-threatening condition caused by bacteria that attacks the nervous systems.
UK health officials are now looking to identify anyone from Britain who may have dined at the restaurant.
Others being treated include at least one Irish person as well as Americans, Canadians and German.
All cases have been traced back to the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar, according to Mathieu Nguyen of the regional health agency.
He said: ‘Those affected had eaten an artisanal dish containing sardines made at the restaurant.’
The restaurant has had glowing reviews from the likes of Forbes and wine journal Decanter and the name Tchin Tchin means ‘cheers’ in English.
According to Google the restaurant is temporarily closed.
A member of staff at the restaurant spoke to Sud-Ouest newspaper and said he believed the sardines had gone off.
Botulism: What it is, symptoms and treatment
What is it?
According to the NHS botulism is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
The toxins then attack the nervous systems (nerves, brain and spinal cord) and cause muscle weakness.
Most people will make a full recovery with treatment, but the paralysis can spread to the muscles that control breathing if it is not treated quickly. This is fatal in around 5 to 10% of cases.
The symptoms of botulism
Feeling sick
Being sick (vomiting)
Stomach cramps
Drooping eyelids
Blurred or double vision
Facial muscle weakness
Difficulty swallowing
Slurred speech
Breathing difficulties
Types of botulism
Food-borne botulism – When someone eats food containing the toxins because it has not been properly canned, preserved or cooked.
Wound botulism – When a wound becomes infected with the bacteria, usually as a result of injecting illegal drugs like heroin contaminated with the bacteria into muscle rather than a vein.
Infant botulism – When a baby swallows a resistant form of the bacteria, called a spore, in contaminated soil or food, such as honey (these spores are harmless to older children and adults because the body develops defences against them from about the age of 1).
Treatment
Botulism requires treatment in hospital and is treated depending on what type of botulism it is.
This includes neutralising the toxins with injections of special antitoxins or antibodie or supporting the functions of the body, such as breathing, until you recover.
Treatment will not immediately reverse any paralysis that’s already been caused by the toxin, but will stop it getting any worse.
In most people, paralysis that occurred before treatment will gradually improve over the following weeks or months.
‘I had a batch of sterilised sardines but when I opened them, I had to throw some away because they had a strong smell,’ he said.
‘Others seemed in good condition and were served to customers.’
A person had fallen ill after travelling to Germany and another was being treated in Spain, according to Dr Clouzeau.
The UK Health Security Agency said it had been ‘notified of a small number of British nationals’ who ate at the bar last week.
It said: ‘Individuals who have been identified by the French authorities and have returned to the UK are receiving medical attention.’
It added there ‘may be more people now in the UK who ate at the Bordeaux restaurant whom the French authorities have not been able to trace’.
Ireland’s Health Service Executive said it was aware of a ‘small number’ of Irish citizens who had been affected and were receiving treatment in France.
People have been urged to seek immediate medical help if they ate at the restaurant between September 4 and September 10 even if they present mild symptoms, French health authorities said.
Dr Greg Martin, director of the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), said ‘botulism can be a serious and potentially fatal condition’ but said the HSE advice only extends to the circumstances specified.
He added: ‘It is important to emphasise that this advice only applies to those who ate sardines at the premises during the time specified. There are no other circumstances in which a person can be affected by this incident.’
A man in his 30s died in Texas after eating raw oysters containing a flesh-eating bacteria.
The unnamed man is believed to have contracted a Vibrio vulnificus infection from eating the deadly oysters, having ingested bacteria which typically lives in warm, coastal waters.
Vibrio infections are believed to be on the rise in the US, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing an alert earlier this year.
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