2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A48.51Infant botulism

ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›A30-A49›A48

ICD-10-CM A48.51
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

A48.51 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for infant botulism. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 867 through 869. The code is restricted by the Medicare Code Editor to pediatric patients (age 0 through 17). In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Foodborne intoxications and Perinatal infections.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
A48.51
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Infant botulism
Short Description
Infant botulism
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
A48.5
Other specified botulism

Code Classification

ChapterA00–B99Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
SectionA30-A49Other bacterial diseases
CategoryA48Other bacterial diseases, not elsewhere classified
This CodeA48.51Infant botulism

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for A48.51.

Pediatric diagnoses
The Medicare Code Editor detects inconsistencies in pediatric cases by checking a patient's age and any diagnosis on the patient's record. The pediatric code edits apply to patients age range is 0–17 years inclusive (e.g., Reye's syndrome, routine child health exam).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Autonomic disorder due to botulism
  • Disorder of autonomic nervous system due to infectious disease
  • Disorder of neuromuscular junction caused by botulinum toxin
  • Foodborne botulism
  • Foodborne botulism, type A
  • Infantile botulism
  • Infection caused by Clostridium botulinum
  • Infection of intestine caused by Clostridium botulinum
  • Intestinal botulism
  • Neonatal botulism
  • Poisoning caused by Clostridium botulinum toxin
  • Toxic neuromuscular junction disorder

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Botulism(foodborne intoxication)
      • infant
    • Infection, infected, infective(opportunistic)
      • Clostridium NEC
        • botulinum (food poisoning)
          • infant

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR INF005
Foodborne intoxications
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes
CCSR PNL009
Perinatal infections
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient No

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Infant Botulism

    botulism that is caused by contact with spores of clostridial bacteria, which subsequently grow in the intestine and release toxin.

  • Foodborne Botulism

    botulism that is caused by consuming food or beverage that contains the botulinum toxin.

Patient EducationClinical

Botulism

Botulism is a rare but serious illness. The cause is a toxin (poison) made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. It occurs naturally in soil.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert A48.51 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
040.41 Infant botulism
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About A48.51Overview

Is A48.51 (Other specified botulism) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report infant botulism on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does A48.51 group to?

When infant botulism is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 867, 868, 869, with relative weights from 0.7297 to 2.0932 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Who can A48.51 be reported for?

The Medicare Code Editor checks infant botulism against patient demographics: this code is intended for pediatric patients (age 0 through 17). Claims outside these limits are flagged as inconsistent.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A48.51?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, infant botulism converts to ICD-9-CM 040.41 (infant botulism). The mapping is a direct match.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.