Botulinum Clostridia

Clostridia: rod-shaped, obligate anaerobes, some form endospores, produce potent toxins that cause a variety of diseases in humans. Important in medicine & industry (Botox & oral plaque). Examples of clostridia include C. tetani (cause tetanus), C. perfringens ( causes gangrene), C. botulinum ( causes botulism) and C. difficle (severe diarrhea). Microbes related to Clostridium include: Epulopiscium - a giant bacterium that can be seen without a microscope; Some clostridia are sulfate-reducing microbes – they produce H2S from elemental sulfur during anaerobic respiration; and Selenomonas – a Vibrio-shaped bacteria, live as part of the biofilm (plaque) on teeth of warm-blooded animals. Selenomonas is unusual because even though it has a typical gram-positive RNA sequence, it has a negative Gram reaction – stains pink.

Foodborne Botulism Geographic’s have been reported in 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Most Outbreaks come from western states like California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska. More than the half of the reported cases from foodborne Botulism since 1950. The Native population of Alaska has a distinctive issues with food borne Botulism. With

Clostridium difficile is a gram positive, anaerobic, spore forming bacillus. In 1935 it was first described as member of the intestinal flora in healthy neonates [1] , and then in 1978 it was recognised as a cause of diarrhoea [2]. Today it is widely acknowledged as the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. This organism can cause a variety of diseases, from mild diarrhoea to severe pseudomembranous colitis, and collectively these are known as C. difficile infections (CDIs) [3]. It is known that the symptoms seen in patients infected with C. difficile are due to the toxins (toxin A and toxin B) that are produced by the organism [4]. Some strains of C. difficile seem to have an increased virulence which can be associated with increased severity, recurrence and increased mortality. This increased virulence is thought to be a result of increased expression of toxins A, B [5]. There is also another toxin produced by C. difficile known as binary toxin, this is also thought to contribute towards increased virulence [6]. A particular strain of C. difficile that does seem to have increased virulence is the strain known as PCR ribotype O27 or North American pulsed (NAP)-field type 01. In Europe PCR ribotype O27 is the sixth most common ribotype [7], and new ribotypes are being detected that appear to have evolved from the O27 lineage [8], making the need for a method to demonstrate strain relatedness highly important. In a hospital setting knowing the

A new strain of Clostridium botulinum has been discovered that has caused many problems. To begin, this discovery is important as this strain of Clostridium botulinum is responsible for the deadly illness, botulism. As a result, the scientists that discovered this new strain, they decided to keep their findings to themselves and not to to the public. Not to mention that another reason why this new strain of Clostridium botulinum is important is because it is one of the first to be identified in 40 years. Ultimately, the finding of the new strain of Clostridium botulinum is important as it could affect the future effectively.

Clostridium botulinum is a kind of bacterium that is responsible for botulism. This is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium. There are 7 types of toxins caused by C.botulinum, A-G, but only 4 of these toxin are known to cause a disease in humans they are A, B,E, and F. Only type A is universal throughout the world. Toxin G is encoded in the plasmid unlike the rest are encoded in the bacterial chromosome. What is special about type C. Botulinum is that it can only produce its toxin during sporulation. Clostridium botulinum will only become active when the environmental conditions are appropriate but other than that the endospores of Clostridium botulinum will stay “asleep” in contaminated foods. This type

C. diff strains produce multiple toxins. The most well-known are enterotoxin (Clostridium difficile toxin A) and cytotoxin (Clostridium difficile toxin B). These toxins generally agitate the intestines causing C. difficile infections (CDI) including pseudomembranous colitis.

Food-borne botulism is the next type. It is a harmful bacterium that thrives in environments with little to no

Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium that can be found in soil, feces, and water. There are four major toxins (alpha, beta, epsilon and iota) and five strains of C. perfringens (A-E) that cause a variety of symptoms such as food poisoning, gas gangrene, and severe neurological disease in sheep and other ruminants. The latter will be the primary focus of this research paper.

Clostridium botulinum is part of the family Clostridiaceae and more specifically, the genus Clostridium. They are rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium. Because it’s in the Clostridium genus, it is a gram-positive bacterium. This means in addition to a plasma membrane, there is a thick layer of peptidoglycan. Also, the transportation is a direct secretion across the membrane instead of needing additional machinery to cross it like gram-negative does. This bacterium is a spore forming bacteria. These spores can contaminate foods such as fruits, vegetables, and honey. These spores are resistant to high temperature, above 100°C, chemical disinfectants and UV or gamma irradiation. This makes it difficult to eradicate the spores once formed. The bacterium itself can also be present

Clostridim difficile was first isolated in1935 by George and his colleagues from a stool found in a healthy infant by the name of Hall and O’Toole (Heinlen and Ballard, 2010). Yet in 1978, C.difficile was known to be associated as disease in human’s antibiotic-associated diarrhea (Heinlen and Ballard, 2010). It is 2 types of C. difficile: one that exists in spore form and the other in vegetative form. Depending on the type of form it exist in, allows it to grow in a certain environment. It is also a gram positive rod bacterium. When Clostridim difficile exist in a spore form, it can live in harsh conditions and in common sterilization techniques (Heinlen and Ballard, 2010). When C. difficile exist in spore form, it will be resistant to temperature

Botulism2What is the significance of clostridium botulinum being anaerobic?Botulinum bacteria can live in the absence of oxygen. This means that they can live and grow in number, and produce the botulin toxin in a sealed jar or can. Clostridium botulinum spores are quite widespread throughout the world, inhabiting soil as well as both freshwater and saltwater in mud. Clostridium botulinum organism

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most toxic bacterial toxins known and are produced by the anaerobic spore forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum, C. butyricum, or C. baratii [1]. When contaminated food is ingested the toxin induces botulism, a disease characterized by descending flaccid paralysis that can lead to death by respiratory failure when untreated [2]. Due to BoNTs high toxicity (intraperitoneal LD50: 1 ng/kg [3]) it is regarded as a potential bioweapon [4], but it has also broad medical and cosmetic applications due to its highly specific inhibition of neurotransmitter release in the neuromuscular junction [5-7]. Both its potency and specificity can be attributed to an elaborate and elegant mode of action, mediated by the different domains of the 150 kDa molecule [8]. First, the 50 kDa C-terminal domain of the 100 kDa heavy chain (HC) mediates high affinity binding to specific receptors on the presynaptic membrane. Next, BoNT is taken up into recycling synaptic vesicles whereupon acidification the 50 kDa N-terminal domain (HN) forms a pore through which the 50 kDa light chain (LC) is released in the cytoplasm. Finally, LC-mediated substrate cleavage of different members of the SNARE-protein complex inhibits fusion of neurotransmitter-filled vesicles at cholinergic synapses hereby inhibiting cargo release and transmission of the stimulus to the attached muscle [9].

The word botulism is a very rare but fatal food poisoning that is caused by a toxin that is produced by a bacteria called clostridium botulinum. The bacteria contaminates food that are often not canned by manufacturers. Whenever people can their own foods they don’t heat them before canning them as the manufacturers do which causes the bacteria to form inside the food. With that being said, the two major organ systems that are primarily affected by this bacteria are the muscular system and the nervous system. The toxin attaches itself to the presynaptic membranes and prevents synaptic transmission and muscle contraction. In Sarah’s case her symptoms were blurred vision and her throat began to close and it made it difficult for her to swallow or even speak. Her vision got so bad that she had to pull over to the side of the road and pop her hood and hope that would attract help. The significance of this bacteria is that it can live in absent oxygen which allows the bacteria to live, grow, and form in a sealed jar or can. So as your canned goods are sitting in the jar waiting to be served for dinner if they are not -properly taken care of, a fatal bacteria could be forming in the absence of oxygen with the food. I believe that the doctor did not prescribe an antibiotic because he did not feel it was needed. Sarah got rushed to the hospital in a good amount of time to catch the toxins that were inside

In addition, Mtx2 shares homology with epsilon toxin from Clostridium, suggests its mode of action as pore forming toxin [2]. The mtx2 gene encodes a 31.8 kDa protein which is moderately toxic to Culex and Aedes larvae [3], and specificity determinant of the protein depends on amino acid at position 224 where lysine and threonine renders toxicity towards Culex and Aedes larvae, respectively [4]. Study of truncated Mtx2 proteins showed that amino acid position 23-26 in the N terminus are required for full toxicity and the C terminus is important for folding and toxicity of the Mtx2

The symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. The average incubation period is seven to ten days, and