Botulinum Toxin and Its Effect on Neurotransmitter Release

Botulism is a rare but very serious paralytic illness that is caused by botulinum toxin(potentially deadly neurotoxin) which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The botulinum toxin can enter the body in 3 main ways: by the ingestion of the toxin from eating foods that contain the botulism toxin (food borne botulism), by the contamination of a wound by the bacterium in which the toxin is produced (wound botulism) and Infant botulism which is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release the toxin. The powerful exotoxin (botulinum toxin) leads to secretory diarrhea. All forms of botulism can be fatal and are therefore considered to be

Infant Botulism is the same as foodborne botulism. Ingested C. botulinum spores germinate and produce and build up toxins in the gastrointestinal tract of infants. No definitive way of transmission found yet.

Clostridium botulinum is an, anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria that causes the disease known as botulism (Smith and Sugiyama, 1988). It produces a potent neurotoxin called botulinum toxin which causes botulism or more specifically foodborne botulism. The spores of the bacteria can survive high temperatures and can live in foods that are incorrectly or poorly processed (FDA). There are seven types of botulism recognized, (A-G), but only A, B, E, and F cause human botulism (FDA).

The first strain mentions is the most common type which is foodborne botulism, food borne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum toxin; the most frequent source being home-canned foods prepared in an unsafe manner (CDC, 2016). The next type of botulism is wound botulism which is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. Injection drugs users are at increased risk for wound botulism. The third type of botulism is infant botulism caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin (CDC, 2016). Bacteria from the spores can grow and multiply in a baby's intestines, producing a dangerous toxin. The condition can occur in infants up to age 12

Clostridium botulinum has strains ranging from A through E. Humans can get Type E Botulism if the toxin is ingested by eating an infected fish or animal (NYDEC 2015). Infection by botulism does not occur due to swimming in waters where affected fish or wildlife is found. However, cooking may not destroy the toxin, so it is recommended that ingestion of fish or game that show signs of illness be avoided. Symptoms of illness in birds include inability to hold their head up (drowning,) poor posture (dragging wings while standing,) and inability to fly. Affected fish usually die quickly, may swim erratically near the surface of the water, and are often seen washed up on shore.

Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that produces dangerous toxins under low-oxygen conditions. Clostridium botulinum will not grow in acidic conditions, and therefore the toxin will not be formed in acidic foods. Combinations of low storage temperature and salt contents and/or pH are also used to prevent the growth of the bacteria or the formation of the toxin. Even though the spores of clostridium botulinum are not easily damaged by heat, the toxin made by bacteria growing out of the spores under anaerobic conditions is destroyed by boiling. Therefore, ready-to-eat foods in low oxygen-packaging are more frequently involved in botulism. Prevention of foodborne botulism is based on good practice in food preparation particularly preservation and hygiene. Commercial heat pasteurization may not be sufficient to kill all spores and therefore the safety of these products must be based on preventing bacterial growth and toxin making. Salt content combined with refrigeration temperatures will prevent the growth of the bacteria and formation of toxin.

The first of the three is infant botulism. This is the most common form, and beings after Clostridium Botulinum bacteria spores growing in the baby’s intestine. It typically occurs between two and six months of age. There are over one hundred cases each year, sixty-five percent of the cases in the United States. Children can contract this by consuming dirt, dust, and contaminated honey. The reason it affects younger children is because their digestive system has not matured enough to move the spores.

Clostridium botulinum produces botulinum toxin which is the strongest human known toxin. This makes it have great potential for use as a bioweapon. The concern for this has risen due to Iraq’s production, under Saddam Hussein’s rule, of 19,000 liters of botulinum toxin in 1995. This amount is enough to kill the entire population of humans on earth, three times over. The use of this neurotoxin could be in the form of aerosol or food contamination. For this reason, it is highly studied. It is also the reason I picked Clostridium botulinum as the bacterium to do my research paper on.

The 5 main kinds of botulism and modes of transmission are: Foodborne, Wound, Infant, Adult Intestinal toxemia, and Iatrogenic. Foodborne botulism can happen by ingesting foods that have been contaminated by the botulinum toxin. Examples are homemade food that has been improperly stored, canned, preserved or fermented. Also alcohol consumption from homemade recipe called Pruno, which is made usually by fermenting fruit, sugar, water and other common ingredients in a sealed plastic bag for several days can cause the botulism bacteria to make the toxin. Alaska has more foodborne botulism than any other states in the country. Alaskans have usually gotten

This document will answer many questions about Botulism Toxin. Some of the questions addressed will include; What exactly is botulism? What is the germ Clostridium botulinum? How frequent does botulism occur? What are the symptoms of botulism? How do we diagnose botulism? How do we treat botulism? What are complications from botulism? How does one prevent botulism? What are public health agencies doing to prevent and control botulism? I will also discuss other uses of Botulinum Toxin in the medical field as well as in the cosmetic field.

3 Botulism is a serious and potentially fatal disease. Nonetheless, it is relatively rare. It is an intoxication usually caused by ingestion of potent neurotoxins in contaminated foods. It is not contagious. Clostridium botulinum produces spores that are heat-resistant and exist widely in the environment, and in the absence of oxygen they germinate, grow and then excrete toxins. Botulinum toxins are ingested through improperly processed food in which the bacteria or the spores survive and produce the toxins. Though mainly a food borne intoxication, botulism can also be caused by intestinal infection in infants, wound infections, and by inhalation.

Botulism occurs when infants under one year take contaminated raw honey or corn syrup. Injecting some types of heroin and eating food containing the bacteria will lead

Botulism is a fatal but rare preventable disease. It could be treatable if it gets diagnosed on time. As explained by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2015) botulism is an intoxication usually caused by ingestion of toxins produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinm. Clostridium botulinm is the scientific name of botulism. According with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2014) botulism is an anaerobic, gram-positive and rod-shaped cell and it is a spore-forming bacterium. Botulism is considered an anaerobic bacteria because it starts reproducing neurotoxins, dangerous toxins where there is no oxygen. The three most common forms of botulism as explained by the Mayo clinic (Mayo clinic staff, 215) are foodborne botulism that is

Botulism essentially is and does for starters it is actually rare to get this type of bacteria but has started to become more common in recent years among drug users that use needles, and what happens is if left untreated will kill people. However, it is treatable by antibiotics and other things like this. It can be spread through and is present in large bodies of water, and through open cuts and wounds but it can also be present in food.

A student of UC Irvine School of Medicine had discovered that bacterial toxins could cause food-borne botulism which is absorbed through intestate lining and into the bloodstream. This toxin is often deadly paralytic illness which is produced by bacteria and it can be found in rotten, uncooked foods and even in dirt. Botulism is listed as a true 1 agent by CDC; this could also be used as a biological weapon.