Botulism in Maine-et-Loire: Death of a pensioner who consumed homemade preserves, an investigation opened
A pensioner who had been hospitalized for several weeks after being infected with botulism toxin in Maine-et-Loire died on Monday, July 28, Angers public prosecutor Eric Bouillard announced on Wednesday.
Botulism is "the main hypothesis put forward by the ARS" (Regional Health Agency) to explain the death of this woman, who had "prepared the cans" of carrots suspected of having contaminated retired couples, hospitalized between July 7 and 14, the magistrate specified, confirming information from the Courrier de l'Ouest .
The ARS of the Pays de la Loire region confirmed on Wednesday evening the death of "one of the people affected by the botulism outbreak" identified in the Cholet region, without providing further details on the deceased. According to the Courrier de l'Ouest , the person is a 78-year-old woman.
According to a press release from the ARS dated July 17, six people were hospitalized between July 7 and 14 after having "shared, at different times, a carrot cake made from carrots put in a jar by one of the couples." "None of these foods were marketed," the ARS emphasized.
Mr. Bouillard announced on Wednesday that one of the victims of the contamination was still "in intensive care" and that another was still hospitalized but in a "less serious condition." A fourth person had returned home.
An investigation to "search for the causes of death" has been opened by the Angers prosecutor's office, the magistrate added. Contacted by Agence France-Presse on Wednesday, the ARS Pays de la Loire did not respond.
Fatal in 5 to 10% of casesBotulism is a rare and serious neurological condition, fatal in 5 to 10% of cases, caused by a very powerful toxin produced by a bacterium that grows in poorly preserved food due to insufficient sterilization.
From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2024, 74 outbreaks of botulism were declared in metropolitan France, totaling 122 cases, including 107 hospitalized cases and one death, according to data from Public Health France.
In September 2024 in Indre-et-Loire, five thirty-year-olds were hospitalized in a serious condition following a birthday meal during which they consumed canned wild garlic pesto. In September 2023, 16 customers, including a woman who died , were identified as "suspected cases of botulism" after eating homemade canned sardines in a tourist restaurant in the center of Bordeaux.
The World with AFP
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