Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection 2383-0298 2 1 2015 02 01 A Family Outbreak of Foodborne Botulism Following Consumption of Home-Canned Doogh in Hamadan, West of Iran 23476 23476 10.17795/ajcmi-23476 EN Seyyed Hamid Hashemi Mojgan Mamani Fatemeh Torkaman Asadi Afshin Fayyazi Journal Article 10.17795/ajcmi-23476 2014 09 08 2014 12 02 Background: Food-borne botulism is one of the potentially fatal forms of food poisoning, usually caused by ingestion of home-canned vegetables, fruits and fish products. Objectives: The aim of this study was to report an outbreak of botulism due to homemade doogh in Hamadan, Iran. Patients and Methods: During an outbreak, 10 members of a family referred to the hospital because of food poisoning. All patients had a history of consumption of doogh, a traditional drink. After careful physical examination, all of them were hospitalized. Botulism was suspected in all patients except for the first patient. Results: The first patient was a 76-year-old man who died after 12 hours of admission due to respiratory distress. Nine subsequent patients were diagnosed as botulism with the following symptoms: diplopia (90%), dizziness (70%), nausea and vomiting (80%), ptosis (60%), symmetric weakness of extremities (60%), dysarthria (30%), chest discomfort (30%), mydriasis (20%), dysphasia (20%) and dry mouth (20%). All of the nine patients received botulinum antitoxin and improved during 5-15 days of hospitalization. Conclusions: Immediate diagnosis based on careful history and physical examination are essential for management of botulism. People should be notified about proper food handling and preparation of traditional homemade foods.