Botulism baby fights for his life

November 4, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

A 16-week-old baby who contracted botulism is in serious but stable condition at a Scottish hospital.

A baby in Scotland who contracted botulism represents the first reported infant case in Scotland in over 25 years.

“Based on our electronic records, which go back to 1983, we have not seen a laboratory report of an infant botulism case,” said a spokeswoman for Health Protection Scotland.

Logan Douglas was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh on September 19 after exhibiting symptoms bordering on paralysis. An astute doctor analyzed the symptoms and ordered a botulism test despite the rarity of the illness.

Theresa Fitzpatrick and Alex Douglas, the parents of Logan, have been at his bedside ever since.

“We are pleased that he’s in the best place to get the treatment he needs and hope he will be fit and strong again as soon as possible,” said Fitzpatrick.

Logan’s father, Alex, added, “He’s our bonnie lad and we are looking forward to getting him back home soon and seeing him smiling again.”

The cause of botulism is the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that normally lives in the soil. However, when it is ingested or taken into a wound, toxins are created that cause the nervous system to malfunction, leading to paralysis.

It’s not immediately known how the baby contracted the deadly illness.