Honey, botulism from

The digestive system of children under one year old has not formed enough to protect itself from botulism organisms sometimes found in raw, uncooked honey. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that raw honey not be given to children under one year old as it can cause a sometimes fatal diarrhea. 

Two types of illness are associated with the botulinum toxin, infant and adult botulism. An adult becomes iU by eating spoiled food that contains the toxin. Infants become ill from eating the spores of the botulinum bacterium. One source of these spores comes from the ingestion of honey. Spores are not normally toxic to adults. Botulinum toxins work by binding to the presynaptic nerve terminal at the neuromuscular junction and at cholinergic autononuc sites. They then act to stop the release of acetylchloline presynaptically, thus blocking neurotransmission. 

It may not be wise to feed honey to infants under 1 year of age, since infant botulism— botulism resulting from the production of toxins after the ingestion of Colostridium botuli-num—may result from the ingestion of raw agricultural products. Honey has been implicated as a source in a very few cases. This type of botulism does not occur in older children and adults. 

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