Severity of Illness and Clinical Outcomes of Infants Linked to an Infant Botulism Outbreak Caused by Powdered Infant Formula — United States, 2025
- Presentation Day/Time: Friday, April 24, 3:10 PM
- Presenter: Myra Brooks, DVM, MPH, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
The Issue
- In November 2025, the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (IBTPP) at the California Department of Public Health with the CDC, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state and local partners began investigating a multi-state outbreak of infant botulism linked to a powdered infant formula.
What We Did
- We investigated to characterize illness severity and clinical outcomes of outbreak-associated patients with infant botulism.
What We Found
- Preliminary data included 46 outbreak cases. Approximately two-thirds of infants required post-hospitalization physical therapy or feeding support. Outbreak-associated infants exhibited clinical signs typical of infant botulism, and disease severity shifted markedly, with more severe cases before the recall and primarily milder illness after. No patients died.
What This Means
- Our findings highlight the impact of botulism on infant health during this outbreak. Early outbreak detection, prompt product recalls, and caregiver education for clinical signs might help prevent cases of severe infant botulism.
