WAILUKU, Maui — Tests on samples taken from a Maui man who said he became ill after eating canned chili were negative for botulism, according to the state Department of Health.

Jon Stockton, 33, reported becoming violently ill last month after eating a can of Cattle Drive chili that was the subject of a national recall. He was hospitalized for two days at Maui Memorial Medical Center with problems that included facial numbness and muscle weakness, symptoms similar to those caused by the botulism toxin, which affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis and death.

Tests performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not detect the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which produces the toxin, in blood and stool samples collected from Stockton, said DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

Tests by the DOH laboratory on an unopened chili can from the same eight-pack that made Stockton sick also did not detect botulism. The can of chili Stockton had eaten from was discarded and could not be tested.

Okubo said it would appear something else made Stockton ill.

"He had some of the symptoms but not all. All the evidence points toward symptoms that were not due to botulism," she said. "The CDC conducted a battery of tests and was not able to find any botulism."

Stockton said yesterday the samples were taken at least four days after he ate the chili, by which time traces of the bacterium would have been eliminated from his body. He said his doctor told him he was stricken with the illness and will experience the lingering effects of the toxin, which binded with his nerves.

His physician could not be contacted yesterday to comment.

"I still have weak, achy muscles and my eyes keep fluttering and I have trouble swallowing," he said. "I have no energy for anything."

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Alan Tice said that under the circumstances, there is no definitive way to say for sure whether Stockton suffered from botulism.

Stockton said he bought the Cattle Drive canned chili at Costco in Kahului before manufacturer Castleberry's Food Co. of Augusta, Ga., and the federal Food and Drug Administration announced a voluntary product recall July 18 and an expanded recall July 21 that included 88 canned meat products under various brand names.

He said he ate the chili July 23, put an open can in the refrigerator overnight and ate from the can again the next day. He became ill with stomach problems and achiness, with the symptoms worsening as the week progressed. Stockton went to the Maui Memorial Medical Center emergency room July 26 after suffering symptoms that included numbness in his face.

A second Maui man reported becoming ill after eating Cattle Drive chili July 20, but he was not tested for botulism because his symptoms did not meet the criteria for illness, according to health officials.

No confirmed cases of botulism have been traced to items sold at Costco, said Craig Wilson, the company's assistant vice president for food safety in Kirkland, Wash.

The company immediately removed the recalled products from its shelves and sent notices to customers who had purchased the products.

"All the tests came back negative, and we're feeling really good about that. You just don't want to take a chance with that kind of organism," he said yesterday.

As of yesterday, a total of eight botulism cases have been reported to the CDC from Indiana, Texas and Ohio, all involving people who consumed hot dog chili sauce made by Castleberry's Food Co. The chili sauce is not sold at Costco, Wilson said.

An average of 110 cases of botulism are reported in the United States each year, the CDC said. Of those, 25 percent are foodborne, most commonly as a result of eating contaminated home-canned foods.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.