[Detection of Clostridium botulinum spores in honey]

A total of 177 honey samples were examined for Clostridium botulinum, 68 of which were from commercial origin, 8 from small rural producers for family consumption, and the remaining 6 from fractionizing centers in Mendoza and San Luis provinces in Argentina. C. botulinum type A was detected in two samples of rural producer origin (1.1%) by the centrifugation-dilution method. The strain was recovered from one of the samples, obtaining a spore count of 55/g of honey. Even though the positive percentage was lower than that found in other countries, honey consumption by children under one year old should be avoided in order to prevent infant botulism.