Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is used for cosmetic purposes and for treating overactive bladder syndrome and migraine. In recent years, it has also been used for weight-loss treatment . Now, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported an outbreak of iatrogenic botulism caused by the intragastric injection of BoNT in Europe. Between the end of February and 10th March 2023, 67 botulism cases were reported in Turkey (53), Germany (12), Switzerland (1), and Austria (1).
Among them, 60 cases were associated with two hospitals in Turkey, where patients had undergone weight-loss treatment using BoNT. The patients developed mild to severe symptoms and several of them were hospitalized. While counterfeit BoNT caused the previous iatrogenic botulism outbreak in Egypt, in 2017, the current outbreak was caused by the licensed BoNT, which was not approved for obesity…
