What these people all have in common is having eaten sardines from a jar in a restaurant in Bordeaux.
They all frequented the same restaurant in Bordeaux. Twelve people contracted botulism after consuming sardines from a jar in the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar establishment, announced the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Nouvelle-Aquitaine during a press conference on Wednesday September 13. One of them died in the Paris region, and nine others are hospitalized in Bordeaux and Ile-de-France. Another case was reported in Barcelona, Spain. “People who have visited this establishment are called upon to be extremely vigilant and to consult in the event of symptoms”, asks the ARS. Here is what we know about these contaminations.
The victims had attended the same establishment last week
All cases identified attended this Bordeaux establishment “between Monday September 4 and Sunday September 10”, according to the ARS. Most people affected “are of foreign nationality (United States, Canada, Germany)”, specified the Directorate General of Health (DGS) in a bulletin published Tuesday evening. According to the ARS, the foods in question are “canned sardines made at home by the restaurateur”. The establishment remains open, but with reduced service.
“I admit that I had a batch of sterilized sardines and that upon opening I had to throw away some which had a strong odor. Others appeared healthy and were served to customers”the restaurant manager told the newspaper South Westwho revealed the information. “I am devastated for these customers if it turns out they got sick at my place”he added.
Benjamin Clouzeau, resuscitation doctor at Bordeaux University Hospital, interviewed by AFP, does not rule out the arrival of other patients for a few days. “The incubation time for food-borne botulism can range from a few hours to a few days”confirms the DGS in its bulletin.
One death in the Paris region and nine people hospitalized
At this stage, twelve suspected cases have been officially identified, including the nine people hospitalized, the Spanish case and the deceased woman. Among the nine people hospitalized, seven are in intensive care in Bordeaux, including five under ventilatory assistance. The last person hospitalized is in intensive care in Ile-de-France. She was in a relationship with the thirty-year-old who succumbed to this illness, according to the ARS. Furthermore, a man, “weakly affected”, was able to return home. The days of the person affected in Spain are not in danger, also assures the ARS.
The deceased woman was 32 years old, according to the same source. She is dead “in the Paris region”reported Tuesday evening Doctor Benjamin Clouzeau in a message on X (formerly Twitter), relayed by France Bleu Gironde.
“All these patients benefited from antitoxin treatment”Benjamin Clouzeau told AFP, interviewed on Tuesday. “Their condition can potentially persist for several weeks”during “multiple complications” can occur, according to him. “It’s exceptional. In France, we have between 20 and 30 cases per year.”
Characteristic symptoms of a potentially fatal disease
Public Health France calls on people showing signs of digestive disorders (diarrhea, vomiting), vision or speech after having attended the establishment concerned, to contact the emergency services to benefit from antitoxin treatment “as early as possible”.
Botulism is a rare but potentially fatal neurological disease. “Symptoms include, to varying degrees: early digestive signs which may be fleeting (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea), eye damage (failure to accommodate, blurred or double vision), dry mouth accompanied by ‘a deficiency in swallowing or even speech, or neurological symptoms (wrong paths, more or less severe paralysis of the muscles). There is usually no fever.’, specifies the DGS in its bulletin. The motor or sensory neurological damage makes it all the seriouser, with paralysis of the limbs or respiratory muscles which can be complicated by respiratory distress which is sometimes fatal.
This condition is due to the action of botulinum toxin produced by a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. It develops in particular in poorly preserved foods that have not undergone an extensive sterilization process, such as cold meats, family or artisanal canned vegetables. (green beans, spinach, mushrooms, beets) or fish (canned tuna, fermented, salted or smoked fish)specify the Pasteur Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2019, a resident of Essonne found herself “almost totally paralyzed” after eating expired vegetable soup. Botulinum toxin is “the most powerful in the plant, microbial or even animal world. It is more powerful than cyanide”explained Christelle Mazuet, head of the national reference center for anaerobic bacteria and botulism at the Institut Pasteur, at the time. Parisian.
A treatment that depends on the speed of diagnosis
“The treatment of botulism is essentially symptomatic [il agit sur les symptômes, mais pas directement sur leur cause, le botulisme] and requires, in severe forms, intensive respiratory care with assisted ventilation., explains the DGS. This mechanical ventilation may need to be maintained “for weeks or even months”, warns the WHO for its part. It all depends on the speed of diagnosis. “Administering botulinum antitoxin in the hours or first days after the onset of symptoms may shorten hospitalization time,” confirms the DGS.
This early administration reduces effectively reduce mortality rates, again according to the World Health Organization, which warns of the fact that diagnostic errors are sometimes made regarding botulism, often confused with a stroke, Guillain-Barré syndrome or myasthenia gravis (rare autoimmune disease). “It is important that our colleagues are alerted so as not to overlook patients”supports Doctor Benjamin Clouzeau on X.