Research on sick children continues after California’s rare ID botulism program

Health officials are warning parents to avoid infant formula linked to botulism outbreaks across the country.

As of Nov. 10, 13 children in 10 states — including one in Los Angeles County — have been sickened by bacterial spores after eating ByHeart’s Complete Nutrition infant formula.

The cases were first identified by the California Department of Public Health.

The state operates the Pediatric Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program, the only manufacturer and provider of FDA-approved antitoxin for pediatric botulism. Officials were alerted to the outbreak when they noticed an increase in demand for the anti-venom, Baby Bug, in August, according to health department spokesman Robert Barsanti.

The state alerted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and launched a nationwide investigation, which is ongoing.

Health officials are asking major retailers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart and Whole Foods to remove the product from their shelves. They are also asking parents and caregivers to check their baby formula and throw out cans made by ByHeart Inc.

If a parent or caregiver thinks they may have a child with botulism who ate infant formula, take pictures of the can and lot number, said Gemma Alarcon, medical director of the Los Angeles County Health Department’s Food and Water Safety Unit.

“We recommend that they either return it to where they got it, so they can get compensation, or they can just throw it away,” she said. “It is very important that if you see symptoms such as sleepiness, lethargy, constipation, or the child is not acting like himself, just go to the emergency room, go to your primary care doctor and let them know that the child consumed this formula.”

In a press release, provincial health officials also mentioned symptoms such as difficulty feeding, sucking or swallowing; Weak crying or reduced facial expressions; poor head control; and muscle weakness or difficulty breathing.

On Saturday, ByHeart voluntarily recalled two contaminated infant formulas: Lot 206VABP/251261P2 (use by 01 December 2026) and Lot 206VABP/251131P2 (use by 01 December 2026).

No deaths have been reported from the outbreak.

According to the FDA, the product accounts for less than 1% of all US infant formula sales.

Nine of the 13 cases in the outbreak have been confirmed so far; There are four left. All are related to the same formula and the same strain of bacteria.

The company said in a statement on its website that it had voluntarily issued several recalls, but noted that the powdered formula tested by the California Department of Public Health came from a mine that had already been opened.

“We know that Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that exists naturally in the environment — in places like soil, dust, and even vegetables — which means it can become contaminated in many ways,” the company said on its website.

It also noted that “international regulatory and scientific authorities do not recommend testing powdered formula for infants. Clostridium botulinumand no American or international infant formula company tests for it Clostridium botulinum“

The spores produced by botulism bacteria are heat resistant and are widely available in the environment. In the absence of oxygen they germinate, grow and then release toxins.

Although this disease is rare, it is associated with improperly processed foods that allow bacterial spores to survive and grow. If untreated, poisoning can lead to respiratory failure and death.

This disease is different in children than in adults. For an adult to be sick, they have to eat poison. On the other hand, children can get sick just by eating bacteria because it will develop toxins in their intestines, due to their immature immune systems.

Bill Marler, an attorney with Marler Clark, a food safety law firm, said cases of infant botulism are rare. He said he had a client in Arizona whose baby was hospitalized for two weeks and put on a feeding tube for four weeks after allegedly ingesting contaminated Boydheart formula.

He said botulism spores are linked to hygiene deficiencies in food production lines. Once they are established in a food source, however, they are difficult to eradicate.

“Botulism spores are very hard to kill, even with the hot water you would add to baby formula,” he said. “These scopes are tough little guys. It might get on somebody’s shoe or board, or you know, something like that.»