Question

Contaminated canned foods can lead to a disease called:

• A. Cholera
• B. Typhoid
• C. Botulism
• D. Amoebiasis

Hint:

A swollen or bulging can is a primary indicator of C. botulinum contamination, as the bacteria produce gas (carbon dioxide and hydrogen) during anaerobic growth.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Canning is a preservation method that uses heat sterilization to destroy microorganisms and vacuum sealing to prevent re-contamination.
However, if the thermal processing is inadequate, anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria can survive and multiply inside the sealed, oxygen-free can.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The bacterium responsible for canned-food spoilage is Clostridium botulinum.
It is an obligate anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming rod commonly found in soil and aquatic environments.
If food is not heated sufficiently during the canning process, C. botulinum endospores survive.
Once the can is sealed, the anaerobic environment allows these spores to germinate, multiply, and produce a potent neurotoxin known as botulinum toxin.
Consuming even small amounts of this pre-formed toxin leads to botulism, a severe, life-threatening form of food poisoning.
The toxin blocks the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, causing flaccid paralysis that can progress to respiratory failure.
Other options like cholera, typhoid, and amoebiasis are typically waterborne infectious diseases transmitted via the fecal-oral route, rather than through toxin-contaminated canned foods.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Consuming contaminated canned foods can lead to botulism.