Infant botulism is quite different from the botulism caused by eating contaminated foods. Infant botulism occurs in babies younger than six months old, and, if hospital care is provided, it is not as serious as food-borne botulism.

All botulisms are due to toxins given off by Clostridium botulinum bacteria that attack the body’s nervous system. Food-borne botulism is caused by eating toxin already formed in contaminated food. In infant botulism, the baby does not ingest toxin; instead, spores from the botulism bacteria are able to produce toxin in the baby’s immature digestive Read the rest of this entry »

Impetigo is the most common skin infection in children. It is a contagious bacterial infection on the surface of the skin that starts as a small blister, then drains, crusts over, and heals, leaving no scars. There are two forms, bullous and nonbullous. Non-bullous impetigo is the most common.

Nonbullous impetigo is caused by either group A streptococcus or Staphylococcal aureus or both. Bullous impetigo is Read the rest of this entry »