The case is both extremely serious and exceptional. A dozen individuals aged 30 to 40, of foreign origin, were affected by botulism, after eating artisanal canned sardines in a restaurant in downtown Bordeaux. The events took place more specifically in the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar, between September 4 and 10, 2023. This rare neurological disease occurs when food has been poorly preserved or poorly sterilized jars, which releases botulinum toxins that attack to the nervous system. With dramatic consequences: as reported TF1info Wednesday September 13, 2023, one person died while another patient is in serious condition. “She is unfortunately completely quadriplegic at present, with an inability to even open her eyes, and of course to breathe.”announced Dr Benjamin Clouzeau, anesthetist-resuscitator at Bordeaux University Hospital, speaking to our colleagues.
Botulism is fatal in 5 to 10% of cases
As the complete Release, the victim who died in Paris is believed to be a 32-year-old woman whose nationality has not yet been revealed. Among the patients now hospitalized, seven are in intensive care, five on respiratory assistance and one person placed in a continuing care unit. They are of foreign nationality: American, Canadian, German and Irish. As a reminder, Botulism is a serious condition leading to death in 5 to 10% of cases, with only 20 to 30 cases recorded in France each year. Its symptoms range from digestive problems (nausea, diarrhea) to eye problems (blurred vision), including speech difficulties and even muscle paralysis which can lead to respiratory failure. But how could these restaurant customers have been contaminated with botulism? According to the story of BFMTVthe link between these cases and canned sardines is formally established. The Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP) warns of “a real lack of control of the canning process”, “with a very artisanal operating mode”.
Restaurant manager says he’s ‘devastated’
These canned goods were seized and withdrawn from sale in the Bordeaux establishment, whose clientele is international and rather Anglo-Saxon. The owner of the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar makes his own preserves. “I admit that I had a batch of sterilized sardines and that when I opened them, I had to throw away some that had a strong smell. Others appeared healthy and were served to customers.”he admitted in the columns of South West, Monday September 11, 2023. The patients concerned are, some of them, placed on respiratory assistance. And the road will be long before they emerge from convalescence, because several weeks of resuscitation and rehabilitation could be necessary. Other cases could even appear soon, the incubation period before showing the first symptoms can last several days. “I am devastated for these customers if it turns out they got sick at my house,” further lamented the restaurant manager to the local newspaper.