Essay on Botulism: An Emerging Infectious Disease

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

The first case of foodborne botulism was in Ellezellesin, Belgium in December 14, 1895. Thirty-four musicians had a meal at a local inn and all consumed a ham that had been infected by Clostridium Botulinum. Following the meal, all the musicians experienced visual disturbances, generalized weakness, shortness of breath, and difficulty speaking (Maki). Three of the musicians died over seven days and the organs of the musicians who died were given to Emile-Pierre-Marie Van Ermengem, a professor of microbiology and a physician at Ghent (Maki). He conducted a clinical, toxicological, and bacteriologic investigation on the bacteria (Maki). He found that the pig had been slaughtered four months before being served to the musicians and was cut into two separate hams. The ham served at the inn, the one the musicians got sick from, had no signs of microscopic decay but bacteria was found(Maki). The second ham, which the musicians didn’t eat, did not

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

Normally people infected die within 5 days in some cases overnight. After the victim is bitten

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.

Many countries use the fermentation method in order to preserve or enhance the flavors of foods. However, the result of fermentation can also lead to drastic symptoms. For instance, the article “Food-Borne Paralysis from Eating Home-Pickled Eggs” from an Outbreak 37 article is about a 68-year-old man having symptoms involving paralysis and muscle weakness after eating the home-pickled eggs that he had made. This is one example of what we call Clostridium Botulinum. Clostridium Botulinum is a rod-shaped bacterium with a terminal endospore. This pathogen grows best around room temperature to warm areas and loves the environment that has soil. They are also gram-positive bacteria. There are three types of Clostridium Botulism: foodborne, infant botulism, and wound. These different types of botulism have different symptoms, causes, preventions, and treatments. C. Botulinum has spores that releases toxins and can germinate and affect other organisms. This neurotoxin is highly toxic which can make a person have paralysis. Originally, there are more than four different types of botulism, but those other types of botulism do not affect human’s health.

This infection is caused by bacteria. There may be one type of bacteria or a combination of bacteria. Streptococcus and staphylococcus are common types of bacteria that can cause this

However, with certain environmental conditions plague reaches an epizootic scale (affecting many animals in any region at the same time). It is after a significant amount of the rodent (usually rats) population dies out, that hungry, infected fleas seek other sources of blood, increasing the risk to humans and other animals. the incubation period of bubonic plague is 2 to 6 days after exposure. Between disease outbreaks, the plague bacterium exists among certain burrowing rodent populations without causing much illness. These animals act as long-term reservoirs of infection.

It is found in soil and on vegetables. It is also found in corn syrup, honey, damaged canned goods, and improperly canned meats. Children under the age of one should never eat corn syrup or honey for this reason and vegetables should be cleaned and cooked at the proper temperature to ensure the bacteria is unable to do harm. When preparing foods for canning make sure jars are cleaned and sealed properly using either the boiling water method or preferably the pressure cooking method. Botulism cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted; however, when it breaks down proteins it releases a foul odor. If present in canned goods the can will have a bulging appearance. Another way for botulism to enter the body is thru an open wound. Entry from wounds occurs when an open wound is exposed to botulism either by soil or other surfaces that contain botulism spores

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.

The infected person may also be required to use a breathing machine. It is particularly important in instances when the muscles necessary for breathing are weakened. If botulism emergency is noted in an area, the department of the public health is expected to assess the situation. They will recommend the measures that the affected population can avoid infection. It is critical to render the medical services to the patients and find ways of minimizing the sources of the

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.

Clostridium botulinum, once a host is infected, creates toxins which give rise to the symptoms of botulism. Botulism is not transmittable person to person but is obtained by the following methods. Foodborne botulism is caused by the ingestion of foods contaminated with the toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum (Sobel, 2005). Spores formed by Clostridium botulinum are resistant to heat while the toxins are not (WHO, 1999). Cases of botulism are rare, with the United States having 17 to 34 cases a year between 1990 and 2000; these cases were sporadic (Sobel, 2005). Wound botulism is caused by infection of an open wound with spores from the environment which then produce the toxins responsible for botulism (Sobel, 2005). Wound botulism has seen a rise in cases in the United States since 1990, especially in drug users (Sobel, 2005).

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

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.