Adverse Effect Of Honey On Infants: Infant Intestinal Toxemia Botulism, A Neuroparalytic Disease

  Dr. Nilanjana Bhattacharyya Nath,  Debdeep Das,  Shilpa Ghosh

Worldwide appreciated insect derived natural product honey is well known not only for its nutritional value but also for its traditional uses in clinical field from wound healing to cancer treatment. Honey is extensively used to treat cough of baby. It has flavonoids and polyphenols which are two main bioactive substances, acts as antioxidants. Besides so many beneficial effects, regular giving honey to infants exerts some ill effects also. Honey is ideal for children and adults, but it has adverse effects on babies mostly because they are at risk of infant botulism. Infant botulism can occur any time in the first twelve months, but it is most common in the first six months. Honey may contain a spore of a bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. It is a gram positive, anaerobic, spore forming bacteria, responsible for a disease called botulism. It occurs when infants eat honey, which contains spores of C. botulinum which germinate, colonize, and produce neurotoxin in the infant's intestinal tract. It is a serious illness that affects the nervous system and finally causes muscle weakness and paralysis. Botulism in infants include constipation, loss of appetite, weakness, breathing trouble, an altered cry and a striking loss of head control.

Keywords- Honey, antimicrobial agent, Clostridium botulinum, Infant botulism.

Unique Identification Number - IJEDR2003042
Page Number(s) - 262-267
Pubished in - Volume 8 | Issue 3 | September 2020
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) -   
Publisher - IJEDR (ISSN - 2321-9939)

  Dr. Nilanjana Bhattacharyya Nath,  Debdeep Das,  Shilpa Ghosh,   "Adverse Effect Of Honey On Infants: Infant Intestinal Toxemia Botulism, A Neuroparalytic Disease", International Journal of Engineering Development and Research (IJEDR), ISSN:2321-9939, Volume.8, Issue 3, pp.262-267, September 2020, Available at :http://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR2003042.pdf