Botulism only grows in the absence of oxygen?

Question

If there is a hole in a can, then there can't be botulism in it right? Because then oxygen would have entered it and the bacteria would not be able to grow.

Answer 1

Well, inside a can you can have areas where oxygen doesn't get - or other bacteria eat up all the oxygen.  That leaves an area for Botulism to grow.

You got a mouthful of this stuff?  That doesn't sound good.  Good luck with that.

Answer 2

Botulism is caused by bacterial TOXIN and not directly by those bacteria .

So if the TOXIN has been produced by them in the absence of O2  then opening the can  will not destroy the TOXIN AND IT WILL HAVE ITS EFFECT .

The toxin can be made ineffective only by heating it to high temp.

Read about it by clicking on the links below ==

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism#Bo...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism

From = A Botanist

EDIT = GO AND SEE A MEDICAL MAN !

DO NOT FIDDLE WITH INTERNET

Answer 3

Some bacteria are obligate aerobes and some are obligate anaerobes.

Others can live in conditions without oxygen....either in "suspense" or as spores eg clostridium....until conditions are optimal again eg when a can is opened...then it can often continue growing....

I remember being told about bacteria that live in underground oil reserves...which means a LONG time eg many many thoudands of years and will start growing and clogging up equipment that is extracting  it! THey will have been "living" in anerobic conditions for all that time!

Answer 4

Even if there is a hole in the can, only the stuff that you can see through the hole is oxygen-rich. The center of the cylindrical blob of food in the can is still very oxygen poor, because the oxygen cannot diffuse through a few inches of food. However, if the can is open, botulism is the least of your worries. The food will probably be covered with all sorts of mold and whatever else flew in through the hole and landed on the exposed areas.

Also, the above poster is correct in that it is the toxins that get you, not the bacteria itself. That is why the food is still poisonous even after the heating process destroys the bacteria.

Accordingly, the general advice about botulism is that if the can is swollen, do not eat the contents. That is because the toxins are released as a gas, which pressurizes the inside of the can, making it swell. That is a much better "botulism or no botulism" indicator than "hole or no hole."

Eat safely!