Preliminary tests find germ that causes botulism in ByHeart baby formula

Preliminary tests proved that ByHeart baby formula contained the type of bacteria that produces the toxin linked to a botulism outbreak California fitness officers announced The outbreak has sickened at least infants in states No deaths have been communicated Consumers in possession of this product should stop using it instantly the California Department of Community Strength disclosed in a message late Saturday More tests of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula are pending as state and federal fitness authorities investigate the outbreak that started in mid-August The New York-based company this weekend recalled two lots of the powdered product Here s what to know about the outbreak and infant botulism Infant botulism outbreak The outbreak of infant botulism has sickened babies aged weeks to months since mid-August All were hospitalized after consuming ByHeart powdered formula according to the U S Centers for Complaint Control and Prevention The cases occurred in Arizona California Illinois Minnesota New Jersey Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Texas and Washington ByHeart bureaucrats agreed to recall two lots of the company s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula according to the U S Food and Drug Administration The formula has a best-by date of December California wellbeing executives tested a can of the powdered formula that was fed to a baby who fell ill The results suggest the presence of the type of bacteria that produces the botulism toxin endorsed in other cases It can take several days to confirm the results ByHeart personnel revealed that more testing is needed to know whether the type of bacteria that causes botulism is present It comes from a large family of bacteria a large number of of which are discovered naturally in the habitat and don t cause illness the company commented We take this very seriously it disclosed in a comment Sunday The FDA is reviewing reports of cases of infant botulism revealed since August including the cases linked to Byheart baby formula Causes of infant botulism Infant botulism typically affects fewer than babies in the U S each year It is caused by a type of bacteria that produces toxins in the large intestine The bacterium is spread through hardy spores present in the setting that can cause serious illness including paralysis Infants younger than are particularly vulnerable and can be sickened after exposure to the spores in dust dirt or water or by eating contaminated honey Markers can take weeks to develop and can include poor feeding loss of head control drooping eyelids and a flat facial expression Babies may feel floppy and can have problems swallowing or breathing No known outbreaks of infant botulism tied to powdered formula have previously been established revealed Dr Steven Abrams a University of Texas nutrition expert This would be extremely rare he commented Infant botulism healing The only medicine is known as BabyBIG an IV medication made from the pooled blood plasma of adults immunized against botulism California s Infant Botulism Medication and Prevention Effort developed the product and is the sole source worldwide BabyBIG works to shorten hospital stays and decrease the severity of illness in babies with botulism Because the infection can affect the ability to breathe infants often need to be placed on ventilators All of the children in the ByHeart outbreak have received the medication the CDC noted Expected impact on U S formula supplies There is no danger of infant formula shortages because of this outbreak ByHeart which was founded in accounts for an estimated of national formula sales according to the CDC The company sells formula through its website and in retail stores nationwide That s different that the problem caused when formula produced by Abbott was linked to infant deaths and illnesses in That product was contaminated with a different germ that can cause severe illness and death in babies Because Abbott is one of the top manufacturers of infant formula in the U S the closure of its manufacturing plant in Michigan triggered massive shortages of formula across the U S In ByHeart recalled five batches of infant formula after a sample at the company s packaging plant tested positive for cronobacter sakazakii the germ at the heart of the Abbott predicament In the FDA sent a warning letter to the company detailing areas that still require corrective actions Reviewing infant formula ingredients Federal vitality agents have vowed to overhaul the U S food supply and are taking a new look at infant formula Fitness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has directed the Food and Drug Administration to review the nutrients and other ingredients in infant formula which fills the bottles of millions of American babies The effort dubbed Operation Stork Speed is the first deep look at the ingredients since FDA agents are reviewing comments from industry medical experts and constituents to decide next efforts The Associated Press Medical and Science Department receives encouragement from the Howard Hughes Diagnostic Institute s Department of Science Instruction and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content Source