Botulism in Fresno County? How the health department tracked it to cactus

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – In June, Fresno County received two reports of botulism , an illness the CDC describes as “rare but serious” caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves. If untreated, it can lead to paralysis or death.

“This is the first time that we’ve had a food-born botulism case,” Norma Sanchez with the Fresno County Health Department said on Tuesday.

According to Sanchez, who has been with Fresno County for over 20 years, the two women who were diagnosed with botulism were originally thought to have a simple case of vertigo due to the rarity of botulism.

The women attended a family party in Clovis; after a couple of days they began feeling sick and a short time later they were both hospitalized. A full-scale investigation then followed to get to find out what caused it.

“As investigators, we were able to go out and visit to interview our patients,” Sanchez said. “We went out and spoke to one of the husbands at the households where the party was held – environmental health went through the trash.”

Sanchez says investigators were concerned about the cactus salad at the party, though they had been told the salad was frozen and not canned. Sanchez says she interviewed the cook, who admitted to canning the cactus.

“She was sad, she felt it was her fault,” Sanchez said. “I had to explain to her there were a number of ways it could’ve happened – she admitted to canning them in May.”

Sanchez says, after the interview with the cook, she was impressed with the great lengths environmental health officials went through to obtain samples of the cactus salad.

“The food had been out there for a couple of days already – it was a hundred and something degrees out there,” Sanchez said. “I was just amazed at the results.”

According to Sanchez, investigators found the canning process and unsafe storage of the cans were responsible for the botulism cases. Investigators subsequently determined that the Fresno County Department of Public Health would not have to call for a mass recall of any cactus on store shelves, since the canning process was the cause of the botulism.

“We have no new cases as of today,” Sanchez said, “So we’re hoping this is a final end to this investigation.”

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