The bacterial spores get into the infant's mouth via the hands or through contaminated food where they are swallowed. The bacteria grow in the infant's intestine and produce toxin. Infant botulism is diagnosed by a culture of the stool for Clostridium botulinum bacteria and toxin. There is no specific treatment recommended for infant botulism. The anti-toxin used for adults who have foodborne botulism does not work for infants and it may cause an allergic reaction in the infant.
Most infants do, however, require supportive care in a hospital for several days.
Most infants recover fully on their own within a few weeks, some however, may take several months to recover.