Question 40

Question:

A 22-year-old college student presents to the ER complaining of difficulty speaking and the inability to swallow. He says he recently returned from spending Thanksgiving at his grandparents’ house, and yesterday had eaten a family favorite, home-canned asparagus prepared by his grandmother. He denies other complaints and was in his usual state of excellent health before the onset of symptoms. Which of the following is the most appropriate treatment?

Correct Answer: A.  Administration of trivalent botulinum antitoxin

The patient has symptoms of botulism, caused by exposure to Clostridium botulinum toxin, which may occur following the ingestion of improperly canned low-acid content vegetables such as asparagus, corn, beets, and green beans. The best treatment is early administration of botulinum antitoxin containing antibodies to the three common types of C. botulinum toxin known to cause disease in humans (A, B, E). Staphylococcal enterotoxin antiserum (B) may be appropriate in patients suffering from Staphylococcus aureus induced food poisoning, but this patient is not. The other choices would provide no benefit to this patient.