“These mice got sick really quickly”
Associated Press reports that an outbreak of botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula has made at least 15 infants sick in 12 states, a California health official said Monday.
Nine cases of infant botulism type A have been confirmed, with results on six others pending, said Dr. Erica Pan, health officer for the California Department of Public Health. That’s an increase from 13 cases in 10 states reported on Saturday.
Federal and state officials are investigating the outbreak, which began in mid-August. No deaths have been reported.
ByHeart, a maker of organic baby formula based in New York, recalled two lots of its Whole Nutrition Infant Formula over the weekend.
“Consumers in possession of this product should stop using it immediately,” California officials said.
Infant botulism outbreak started in August
The outbreak has sickened babies aged 2 weeks to 5 months since mid-August. The infants were hospitalized after consuming ByHeart powdered formula, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California officials confirmed that a sample from an open can of ByHeart baby formula fed to an infant who fell ill contained the type of bacteria that causes the toxin linked to the outbreak. The tests to confirm contamination involve injecting mice with the cultured bacterium and then waiting up to four days to see if they get sick.
“These mice got sick really quickly,” Pan said in an interview.
ByHeart officials agreed to recall two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They include lots 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2, with best-by dates of December 2026.