case of adult botulism following ingestion of contaminated Egyptian salted fish [[Faseikh]]

Food-borne botulism is a rare and serious disease caused by potent neurotoxin of the Clostridium botulinum which is a Gram-positive strictly anerobic organism. It manifests clinically as descending paralysis characterized by prominent oculo-bulbar palsies and symptoms and autonomic signs in an afebrile patient with normal sensorium. If not promptly and aggressively treated it may lead to fatality. In this communication, we report a case of food poisoning resulting in adult botulism that responded to early and effective treatment with specific antitoxin and supportive therapy. The patient made a remarkable recovery and was discharged home three weeks after admission. This case is the first to be reported for adult variant botulism in Arabian Gulf States

Acute bilateral cataract in a non-complicated type 1 diabetic youngster: a case report

It is rare for young type 1 diabetics to develop cataract within the first five years of their disease. The overall prevalence of cataract in young diabetics is < 1%. We describe a case of a 13-year- old type 1 diabetic female, known to be diabetic for last three years, who presented with severe diabetic ketoacidosis and decreased vision over the past three weeks. Initial examination revealed absent red reflex and bilateral cataracts, confirmed by an opthalmological assessment to be bilateral mature cortical cataracts. The vision was totally restored after successful bilateral cataract extractions and intra-ocular lens implantation. Development of cataract in early stage of diabetes is very exceptional. This raises the possibility of the presence of unusual genetic susceptibility and perhaps, some environmental elements. We emphasize the need for vigilant examination for ocular complication in type 1 diabetic patients, even in the first few years of their disease