[Botulism: the first epidemic outbreak in Peru].

The first occurrence of Botulism described in Perú took place in Huancayo city, in November 1988. Twelve persons became ill, two of them died. All of them ate "salchipapas" a very popular meal in the country done with fried potatoes, hot dogs, eggs and dressed with mayonnaise) in a restaurant near their working place. Six of the twelve patients were immediately taken to Lima and admitted in Edgardo Rebagliati Martins National Hospital from the Social Security Peruvian Institute, and treated by the International Medicine Department. We studied five of the six patients; they all had similar symptoms and signs, specially neurological and gastrointestinal ones. Their serological specimens were positive for type B botulin toxin. Clinical, epidemiologic, electromyographic and laboratory findings supported the diagnosis of the first outbreak of Botulism in Perú.