Health Dept: soup gave local woman botulism

Consumers who purchased or were given "home-canned" soup or other canned products from Schumacher's Inn in Costello should not open the jars due to the risk of botulism contamination, according to a news release from the Pa. Dept. of Health.

Anyone with canned products from the business should save the items and contact the Health Department.

The advisory came after 43- year-old Potter County native Vera Valenti and chicken soup she bought from the restaurant tested positive for botulism. She ate the soup Dec. 19, Health Dept. officials said. She was hospitalized Christmas day. She remains in Erie County Medical center in stable, but critical condition.

The victim purchased the contaminated soup in October, said spokesman Chris Ryder of the Agriculture Department, which oversees food safety.

The department quarantined the products and ordered the restaurant not to sell or give away any cans.

Food-borne botulism is a rare muscle-paralyzing disease caused by consuming foods that contain a toxin. Botulism thrives in oxygen-free environments, like those produced in canning, and the toxin sometimes causes the lid of the can or jar to swell.

Symptoms typically begin 18- 36 hours after eating contaminated food, but can occur as early as six hours or as late as 10 days. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and intestinal problems, followed by fatigue, blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and dry mouth. If untreated, the illness can progress from head to toe and lead to paralysis of the face, arms, breathing muscles, chest and legs.

Chicken soup is considered potentially hazardous when canned and should only be produced by commercially licensed kitchens, the state said.