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Botulism is a disease resulting from the action of a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. Because of its severity and high mortality, it is considered a public health problem. In this review, we present the main risk factors associated with food poisoning caused by Clostridium botulinum, as well as an epidemiological survey on foodborne and infant botulism. A bibliographic search was conducted in SciELO, MEDLINE, LILACS and PubMed databases. Original articles and case reports published in English, Spanish and Portuguese in the past ten years were selected. After analyzing titles, abstracts and articles, 26 articles were used in this review. In total, 54% of the cases were related to foodborne botulism, of which approximately 58% had confirmed type A botulism, and 35% were related to infant botulism. In the literature consulted, the main symptoms related to foodborne botulism were blurred vision, vomiting, flaccid paralysis, nausea, dizziness, diplopia, respiratory distress, dysarthria, dysphagia, muscle weakness, dry mouth, ptosis and headache. Among the sources of contamination, 65% of the published studies reported home-canned foods as the main cause of foodborne botulism. Although honey (42%) is the only reported food source for the agent causing infant botulism, some reports in the literature (25%) associated the disease with inhalation of dust containing Clostridium botulinum spores, as well as use of medicinal plants (25%). The most common symptoms observed in the literature were constipation, difficulty breathing and difficulty suckling. Although several reports on the two forms of the disease exist, botulism remains under-reported because of often incorrect diagnosis. Thus, early diagnosis is important for an adequate treatment provided by health professionals, as well as availability of relevant information for the epidemiological investigation of notifiable diseases. The data presented in this study also demonstrate the importance of raising people's awareness to main risks and prevention measures, as most reported cases were related to inadequate food preparation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]