Botulism is an infectious pathology that usually occurs in an acute form and affects the human nervous system. Doctors recognize that botulism is most common in fish, so special care must be taken when using these products. Which fish is more likely to be infected with botulism? What symptoms accompany this disease? How to protect the body from poisoning?
From where?
It is known that the causative agent of botulism in a calm state lives in the soil, including in the silt, which is located at the bottom of fresh water. Fish that feed on algae, including low ones, can swallow spores of the pathogen. Fish become infected and develop botulism.
It is worth noting that herbivorous fish species become carriers of such an ailment more often. Predators, on the other hand, are much less likely to become infected, although if a predator decides to feast on a fish that is sick with botulism, infection is guaranteed.
In addition, infection can also occur from a fish corpse that decomposes in its habitatcant. The carcass can be dangerous and throw away a stick called botulinus, which is the main causative agent of infection.
What kind of fish can cause botulism?
Any fish can be infected. It doesn't really matter where she lived. The most commonly affected species are:
- sturgeon;
- all red fish;
- herring;
- burbot;
- zander;
- eel;
- ide;
- perch;
- silver carp;
- bream.
Of course, this is not the whole list of fish that can be infected, but all of the species listed are most often carriers of the disease.
It's also worth dispelling the myth that botulinum sticks are only found in freshwater fish. When asked if botulism occurs in marine fish, the answer is yes. The infection is found in river, lake, and sea fish. The wand can live absolutely anywhere, because it lives in the soil, not in the water.
How do you know if a fish is infected?
Land animals can also be infected with this infection. According to their condition, you can immediately detect the presence of a particular pathology, but what about waterfowl, because their behavior cannot be tracked in any way?
In order to figure out how to identify botulism in fish, you need to remember a few signs by which you can distinguish the infection:
- Strange smell that is not found in a fresh product.
- When it comes to canned food, then botulism gives out a swollen can or itscover.
- Infected fish tend to have scales that are unpleasant to the touch. There is a slippery coating.
- The eyes of the fish are cloudy.
- Loose contents found when opening canned food.
It is worth noting that all these signs are not specific, for example, an unpleasant fishy smell may be present in non-infected, but stale products.
Frying fish
Can you get rid of botulism in fish by frying?
This is actually the most dangerous way. The botulinum stick dies during heat treatment, but only after half an hour. As a rule, the fish is fried quickly, and it is not in the pan for such an amount of time, so this type of treatment is not recommended by doctors if there is a possibility of infection.
If after buying a person began to doubt that the fish is not infected with a stick, you can soak it for a while in any wine or lemon juice. With this method, the meat is marinated in an acidic environment, which prevents the development of bacteria.
Smoking against botulism
Smoking is also a bad way to handle infected fish. The fact is that cold smoking does not affect the development of spores and bacteria at all, and hot smoking lasts very little time.
When smoked, the carcass quickly browns and becomes fragrant, but due to exposure to high temperatures, the cooking time is significantly reduced.
Moreover, when the fish is smoked, a small amount of s alt is used, and the pickling is notprovided, so the botulinus stick feels great and does not die with this method of processing vertebrates.
Drying and curing
Does botulism persist in dried fish? After all, a large amount of s alt is used in its preparation.
Before drying or drying, fish should be washed, cleaned and s alted well. It is important not to spare s alt, because it dries in the open air without exposure to high temperatures.
After the fish is ready, it must be properly stored. This is the only way to protect yourself from infection with various diseases. Dried and dried fish should not be kept warm. But a cellar or refrigerator will do just fine. In the cold, the fish stays fresh longer.
Before long-term storage, it is better to wrap each carcass in parchment. The use of polyethylene is strictly prohibited because:
- in plastic packaging, the product quickly becomes damp;
- excessive moisture leads to the development of harmful microorganisms and the reproduction of botulinum bacilli.
S alted fish
Fans of s alted fish should understand that the cooking process itself does not involve the use of high temperatures, so fish infected with botulism remains infectious to humans. However, there is a way to protect your he alth in this situation.
When cooking, the main thing is not to spare s alt. Do not be afraid that the product will turn out tasteless, as the fish meat will absorb as much s alt as necessary. When s alting, it is necessary to fill the fish with 18% brine. Then pathogensbotulism stop their activity and the product can be eaten without harm to he alth.
The cooking process is best done in the cold. The fish should be s alted strictly in the refrigerator at a temperature not higher than 6oC. After cooking, it should be stored under the same conditions.
Only under such conditions will the fish be safe for human he alth and can be eaten.
Botulism: symptoms of the disease
If, nevertheless, a person is struck by this ailment, then it is necessary to pay attention to the symptoms already in the early stages. Since this is a very serious infectious disease, early treatment is easier and there is no serious harm to human he alth.
How does botulism initially manifest itself? Symptoms of the disease can be divided into:
- gastroenteritis (severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea);
- intoxication (fever, malaise and general weakness in the body);
- neurological manifestations (poor vision, fog in the eyes, mesh before the eyes, double vision, mucosal edema, difficulty swallowing).
Later, the disease begins to progress, and the patient has respiratory failure, a decrease in cardiovascular activity and paresis of the gastrointestinal tract.
In its acute form, botulism often affects the human optic nerves. Patients most often complain of poor vision and general weakness. The main ophthalmic symptoms in this pathology:
- omission of the eyelid;
- pupil enlargement;
- different diametertwo pupils;
- bad reaction to light;
- decrease in visual sharpness;
- a person cannot look at the tip of the nose.
Respiratory functions are also very often disturbed. The disease can develop to the point of no cough reflex and the inability to take a deep breath.
How to protect yourself from infection?
Botulism in fish is now quite rare. The fact is that there are many ways that will help a person protect his body from infection. There are simple rules to follow when buying vertebrates, including:
- When gutting a carcass, it is important to carefully remove all the insides and wash the abdomen under running water several times.
- It is better to buy only frozen fish. Botulinus sticks are more likely to develop in chilled fish.
- Cook fish at a temperature above 100oC and at least 30 minutes. Baking is the best way.
- Canned fish after opening is better to heat in the oven.
- When s alting, you need to add a large amount of s alt.
- If canned fish is prepared at home, it is important to carefully sterilize the container before seaming.
- Dried, dried or s alted fish should only be stored in a cold place.
- If a bad smell comes out when opening canned fish, the jar must be thrown away.
- Don't buy swollen cans.
- It is better to buy fish in stores where there are documents for it. Do not purchase products in non-specializedshops, private traders, fishermen, etc.
These rules are very simple and not hard to follow. Don't try to save money by buying cheap fish. It is better to do this where the quality is proven.
It is always worth remembering that botulism is a serious, albeit curable, disease. In the absence of proper treatment, the disease can seriously harm human he alth, and in some cases, the fight against the disease can even end in death.
