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27.10.2022 - Foods

BfR: Acute Botulism in German Dairy Cattle

In a recent statement published by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the issue of acute botulism in German dairy herds was discussed.

Botulism is one of the bacterial zoonoses and along with its pathogen, it is a notifiable zoonosis according to the Directive 2003/99/EC. It is a relatively rare disease that can, among other things, lead to progressive, life-threatening paralysis. The cause of botulism is the botulinum neurotoxins, which are primarily produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

The BfR estimates the risk of contracting botulism in Germany through the consumption of milk and dairy products to be very low overall. To protect against botulism, raw milk purchased directly from the farm should not be stored unchilled, even for the production of dairy products. Furthermore, raw milk obtained from the farm should generally be boiled before consumption to protect against foodborne infections.

In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct tests for botulinum neurotoxin genes. We provide you with fast and reliable results.
Our customer consultants are very happy to assist you with any questions.

Sources:

·         BfR: Botulism

·         RL 2003/99/EC: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32003L0099&from=en 

·         RKI: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Merkblaetter/Ratgeber_Botulismus.html

LABO: https://www.labo.de/genomics-proteomics/clostridium-botulinum--in-nahrungsmitteln.htm