{"id":22626,"date":"2026-03-23T09:23:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurology\/?p=22626"},"modified":"2026-03-23T09:23:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:23:35","slug":"dr-julia-carlson-nejm-botulism-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurology\/dr-julia-carlson-nejm-botulism-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Julia Carlson Publish NEJM Clinical Problem-Solving Case on Rare Presentation of Botulism"},"content":{"rendered":"

A multidisciplinary team at the UNC-CH recently published a Clinical Problem-Solving article in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing a rare and complex case of foodborne botulism. The article, led by the UNC Division of Infectious Diseases, walks readers through the diagnostic challenges posed by a 47 year old man who presented with dyspnea, ophthalmoplegia, and rapidly progressive descending paralysis.<\/p>\n

While the case was spearheaded by UNC infectious disease physicians Dr. Salma M.A. Gayed<\/a> and Dr. Michael P. Motley<\/a>, the diagnostic process relied on close collaboration across specialties \u2014 including Neurology. Dr. Julia M. Carlson, Assistant Professor in the UNC Department of Neurology<\/a>, contributed key neurologic expertise during the patient\u2019s rapid clinical decline.<\/p>\n

Dr. Carlson played a critical role in evaluating the patient\u2019s unusual cranial nerve deficits, vocal\u2011cord paresis, and progressive paralysis, helping narrow the differential diagnosis to peripheral neuromuscular disorders and prompting further testing that ultimately supported the team\u2019s suspicion for botulism and coordination with state authorities and the CDC for confirmatory evaluation and antitoxin administration. Her involvement highlights the essential role of rapid neurologic assessment in cases of acute ophthalmoplegia or descending paralysis\u2014rare but life\u2011threatening neuromuscular emergencies\u2014and the authors note that despite treatment, the patient\u2019s prolonged paralysis underscores the importance of early recognition and intervention.<\/p>\n

The full article, \u201cThe Eyes Have It<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d appears in the March 5, 2026 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

N Engl J Med 2026;394:1011-7. DOI: 10.1056\/NEJMcps250804<\/a>4. Copyright \u00a9 2026 Massachusetts Medical Society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A multidisciplinary team at the UNC-CH recently published a Clinical Problem-Solving article in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing a rare and complex case of foodborne botulism. The article, led by the UNC Division of Infectious Diseases, walks readers through the diagnostic challenges posed by a 47 year old man who presented with dyspnea, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68462,"featured_media":18537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[148,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-neurocritical-care","category-news","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDr. Julia Carlson Publish NEJM Clinical Problem-Solving Case on Rare Presentation of Botulism | Department of Neurology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurology\/dr-julia-carlson-nejm-botulism-case\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dr. Julia Carlson Publish NEJM Clinical Problem-Solving Case on Rare Presentation of Botulism | Department of Neurology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A multidisciplinary team at the UNC-CH recently published a Clinical Problem-Solving article in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing a rare and complex case of foodborne botulism. 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