Subject: Re: honey and young babies

From: A. J. deLange <[email-masked]>
Date: 21 Sep 1996 15:12:59 GMT

Reposting article removed by rogue canceller.

In article <[email-masked]> Ronald Smith,
[email-masked] writes:
>Is it true and how often does this occur? I gave all 5 of my children
>honey on their pacifiers, and did not have problems, (the youngest is
>now 18 years old with no apparent health problems.)

C. botulinum spores are found in soil everywhere and, as this is the
case, 
some find their way into honey where they lie dormant until placed in an
anaerobic environment where they can germinate. Germination cannot take
place above a certain pH (don't have the number handy but if I remember
correctly it's around 3.2). An infant's stomach is above this pH for
the first few months of its life so that the bacterium can grow and
release it's toxin. As honey has been shown to contain the spoors it
has been, rightly or wrongly, blamed for cases of infant botulism. I
beleive instances where honey has been _proven_ to have bee responsible
are very rare.

AJ
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Aaron Morris)
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 96 07:46:20 EDT

In article <[email-masked]>
>Reposting article removed by rogue canceller.

Taken from Hints for the Hive on Andy's Wild Bee Bulliten Board:
 
                             HINT FOR THE HIVE 128
 
                           INFANT BOTULISM AND HONEY
 
    Medical research has led doctors to conclude that one cause of so-called
"crib death" or "sudden infant death syndrome" may in fact be due to infant
botulism (food poisoning).  A number of public health officials now believe
there may be many unrecognized cases of this disease each year, and honey has
been implicated as a cause in a few cases.  Symptoms vary from mild to severe,
but there have been no cases found in children over 26 weeks old.  The
Infectious Disease Section and Microbial Diseases Laboratory of the California
Department of Health have provided evidence that botulism spores in the infant
intestinal tract may produce the growing stage of the bacterium, Clostridium
botulinum.  This in turn manufactures a highly toxic poison.  So far this
research indicates no reason why the disease is produced only in infants under
seven months old.
 
     Botulism spores are found everywhere in nature.  They are not harmful
themselves, but in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), the spores
germinate and the resultant bacteria produce the powerful poison.  This is the
reason all canned vegetables are heated prior to packing.
 
     Many raw agricultural crops, however, are never heated.  And many foods,
even if heated or processed, once exposed to the air would be susceptible to
re-infestation by botulism spores.  Cumulative research to date on infant
botulism therefore suggests that there is an unknown risk factor in feeding
any raw agricultural product, including honey, to infants under one year of
age.
 
     Although honey has been blamed as a source of spores in a few infant
botulism cases, some medical officials are not totally convinced about its
role in the disease.  Dr. Roger Feldman of the Federal Center for Disease
Control (CDC) has stated that the data are not yet strong enough for the CDC
to issue a warning about honey.  But, he said, parents should be aware of the
findings so they can make their own decisions.  There may be other foods
involved and honey may be no risk at all.  We just don't know.
 
     These research findings in no way alter many published results that honey
is a highly nutritious food source or that it is bactericidal.  Only bacterial
spores which are highly resistant to environmental stress can exist in honey
and they themselves are not harmful.  No other disease besides infant botulism
has been linked to honey.  The risk of this disease appears to be extremely
small.
 
     The individual beekeeper can do little except be prepared to responsibly
answer questions about infant botulism and honey.  In all conscience he/she
probably should refrain from advocating the use of honey in the feeding of
infants less than one year old.  This is something best left to the discretion
of the parents and pediatrician.  If the beekeeper is a packer or dealer in
honey, he/she may profit by looking into the adequacy of his product liability
insurance.
 
Aaron Morris - thinking who is this guy, "Rogue Canceller"?