Wound Botulism in the Setting of Pregnancy: A Literature Review and Case Report

Botulism is a rare neuroparalytic illness caused by Clostridium botulinum that can manifest as a descending flaccid paralysis, progressing from cranial neuropathies to respiratory failure. Wound botulism, constituting a minority of cases, is majorly associated with the injection of black tar heroin...

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Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 9
Main Authors Ghantarchyan, Henrik, Phan, Alexander T, Hu, Janie, Thaker, Kunal, Dombrovsky, Inessa, Roloff, Kristina, Arabian, Sarkis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Cureus Inc 17.09.2022
Cureus
Subjects
Botulism
Case reports
Drug overdose
Drug use
Dysarthria
Dysphagia
Dyspnea
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Heroin
Hospitals
Hypoxia
Infectious Disease
Laboratories
Mechanics
Medical diagnosis
Narcotics
Neuromuscular diseases
Neutrophils
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Oxygen saturation
Patients
Pregnancy
Respiratory failure
Substance Use and Addiction
United States > US
California
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Summary:Botulism is a rare neuroparalytic illness caused by Clostridium botulinum that can manifest as a descending flaccid paralysis, progressing from cranial neuropathies to respiratory failure. Wound botulism, constituting a minority of cases, is majorly associated with the injection of black tar heroin (BTH) in the western United States. A patient population of particular concern is pregnant women, who may experience a more severe course due to the physiological changes that occur in pregnancy. Because botulism in pregnancy lacks pathognomic features, physicians should maintain a high clinical suspicion when faced with a pregnant patient with neurological symptoms and a history of BTH use. Here, we report the case of a 25-year-old G3P1A1 female with a history of BTH use who presented with cranial neuropathies and respiratory insufficiency.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.29273