Ecology of Clostridium botulinum causing food-borne botulism in Thailand.

The objective of this study was to determine ecology of Clostridium botulinum from previous reported outbreaks. Geographical parameters and their corresponding settings were collected and analyzed. The averages (mean +/- SD) for % soil moisture, % humus and pH were 0.6 +/- 0.1% (range 0.5-0.7), 3.0 +/- 0.2% (range 3-3.2) and 5.2 +/- 0.1 (range 5.1-5.4), respectively. All outbreak settings shared the same sandy loam soil type. It can imply that provinces with this type of ecology may have sites harboring C. botulinum.