A leading manufacturer of formula baby milk has recalled two of its most popular brands after a five-month-old fell ill with food poisoning

SMA nutrition, Britain’s biggest baby milk manufacturer, has recalled cans of SMA Gold and SMA White Infant Powder after a bacterium which causes botulism was found in tests on both brands.

A sample of infant formula from the home of the infected baby tested positive for clostridium botulinum type B – the same strain which caused the child’s illness. The Food Standards Agency, which is conducting the inquiry, said that this evidence did not prove conclusively that the formula was the cause. A spokesman for SMA stressed that the tins had been on sale for nearly three years (batches to look out for carry expiry dates of 28 October 2001 and 28 November 2001), so it was unlikely that there would be many cans still in circulation. She added that there had not been any other cases like this in the 80 years SMA have been in existence.

Botulism is a rare but serious food-borne disease that occurs when food is contaminated by the botulin bacteria, usually found in soil. There are three types: infant, food-borne and wound botulism – food-borne is most common in adults. This is the first reported case of infant botulism in the UK for seven years.

In adult botulism, a toxin is produced in the food that has been contaminated with the spore. In infant botulism, the toxin is produced in the child’s digestive system after it has inhaled or swallowed the spores. The most common method of contracting botulism is from poorly-processed foods which are then vacuum-sealed, or sealed with very little air in containers. However, improved food safety processes mean that tinned and packaged foods are a far less frequent source of the bacterium than before.

In the rare cases it does appear in infants, botulism can often be a milder illness than that which occurs in adults, although some babies require lengthy hospitalisation. After a baby ingests infectious spores, the illness can take between three days and two weeks to appear. Early symptoms include constipation, generalised weakness and a feebler than normal cry. There may also be evidence of damage to the nervous system, including paralysis of the eye muscles, an inability to suck or swallow effectively, and sometimes even to breathe.

Virtually all victims of infant botulism are less than one-year-old and approximately 90 per cent are younger than six months. The five-month old in this case is expected to make a full recovery.

Parents finding cans of the recalled products should throw them away or return them to the company.

• The SMA freephone number is 0800 212 002 or 1 800 409 446 in Ireland.