Two women have been hospitalized for botulism, including one in serious condition, according to a La Voz report.The patients ate matambre (Argentian flank steak) and Russian salad delivered from a  traditional restaurant in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Boedo.

“The salad is prepared with boiled potatoes and carrots and dried peas soaked in a can, with salt and mayonnaise added. Orders are shipped in disposable plastic containers with lids, and they include four slices of homemade matambre along with a portion of Russian salad”, according to the restaurant.

Thirty-six hours after consuming the food, both women began to present symtptoms of difficulty swallowing and speaking, muscle weakness of upper and lower limbs and double vision.

One of those affected was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Municipal Sanatorium ‘Dr. Julio Mendez’; the other ended up in the ICU of the Naval Hospital ‘Dr. Pedro Mallo’.

Both patients received botulinum antitoxin.

The CABA’s Operative Supervision Division carried out the actions to verify the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the restaurant, as well as to take samples of the suspicious foods and their ingredients.

The report of the Sanitary Bacteriology Service of the National Institute of Diseases Infectious/National Administration of Laboratories and Institutes of Health ‘Dr. Carlos Gregorio Malbrán’ (INEI-ANLIS) concluded that none of the samples detected the presence of botulinum toxin or Clostridium botulinum spores.

Thanks to outbreaknewstoday.