[Food-borne botulism with fatal outcome in a 59-year-old woman].

Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal disease caused by toxins produced by Clostridum botulinum. This is a case report of severe and fatal food-borne botulism in a 59-year-old woman. She developed cardiac arrest shortly after admission, most likely due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. Food botulism was suggested, and she was treated with antiserum pending confirmation of the diagnosis by detection of botulinum toxin in a serum sample. The source of botulism was never confirmed, but was likely to be home-canned fish.