FIVE people are in critical condition in a Paris intensive care unit after eating pesto suspected to be contaminated with botulism.

They had all eaten wild garlic pesto from the French artisanal O Ptits Oignons brand.

Local authorities are racing to find about 600 pots of the same posh sauce before anyone else eats it, according to the Indre-et-Loire health department, just southwest of Paris.

Two couples were rushed to the hospital on Saturday, followed by a fifth person on Sunday, all after attending the same birthday dinner.

They're now receiving emergency treatment at the hospital.

They're on life support machines to help them breathe, but they're still conscious, prefect Patrice Latron shared with local news.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin called Clostridium botulinum that affects the nervous system.

It can attack the nervous system causing breathing issues, and muscle paralysis, and, in about 10 per cent of cases, it can be deadly.

The most common way to get botulism is by eating food contaminated with the toxin, usually due to improper processing

Based on the information so far, the prefect confirmed that a locally-produced pesto sauce called 'O P'tits Oignons' was the source of the infections.

The sauce was sold at local festivals in Indre-et-Loire, with the first at the end of March 2024 and the latest in September.

"People who bought the same sauce must throw it out, destroy it," the prefect said.

In September 2023, during the Rugby World Cup, foodborne botulism affected 16 people in Bordeaux.

Patients consumed locally produced canned sardines at Tchin Tchin Wine Bar restaurant.