Clostridium Botulinum Bacterium

The other types mainly cause disease in animals. Most Clostridium species produce only one type of neurotoxin.

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.

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 illness of topic that is rare but potentially fatal that is caused by a toxin is Botulism. In the United States, health care providers report an average of 110 cases per year. The botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin protein. The causative organism that makes up this toxin is Clostridium botulism and sometimes Clostridium butyricum or Clostridium baratii. They are the gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming, obligate anaerobic bacteria. The bacteria that make this toxin are naturally found in many places and it is rare for them to make people sick. This bacterium makes spores that act like a protective coating. The spores help these bacteria survive in the environment, even in very extreme conditions. The spores even when eaten usually do not make people sick but under certain conditions they can grow and become

Quadriplegia is paralysis to some degree in all four limbs. In this type of paralysis, the abdominal and chest muscles can also be affected, resulting in difficulty breathing, coughing, or clearing the chest.

The Clostridium botulinum bacteria that enters the body stops nerve endings from comunicating with muscles. One of the symptoms of botulism is weakness. So with the nerve damage that Kelly's body was reseving it could have been bad enough that the signals could not reach the diaphragm. The nerve ending send the signals that tell your diaphram to move to help you breath. If those signals are stopped from making contact with the diaphram it just stops working.

Certain people work well at high altitudes. People who live at higher altitudes have a higher hemoglobin count since it helps blood cells deliver oxygen to nourish body tissues. The oxygen level in the atmosphere decreases as the altitude increases. This is true with the majority of people who live in these high altitude regions like the Andes. There is a group of people from Tibet who does not follow this trend. They have a much lower hemoglobin level than an average person, and they live and work as successfully as other groups. Scientists questioned why did the Tibetans have a lower hemoglobin count that allows them to live and work successfully? The discovery of the mutation in the EPAS1 gene may have an answer.

It normally starts from the head down to the legs. It can lead to symptoms like blurred or double vision, eyelids dropping and difficult breathing (Dysphagia) or speaking (Dysarthria). If it is not treated properly, the paralysis can become permanent and it can also cause a fatal respiratory

Escherichia Coli (E. coli) 0157:h7 is mainly a food borne pathogen but an area of concern to me regarding E. coli 0157:h7 are the reports of this bacterium being present in recreational areas and drinking sources that can cause illnesses for individuals. What causes this to occur? What happens to waste and feces after floods or heavy rains. What are solutions to help keep recreational areas safer? E. coli was discovered in 1885 by a German Austrian pediatrician named Theodore Escherich using samples from healthy individuals’ feces. Escherichia coli is a bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. The presence of this bacteria is a part of a healthy intestinal tract. E. coli usually poses no threats in the healthy individual but can become a great problem for the sick, young, elderly and those with a weakened immune system. E. coli is a gram negative, facultatively anaerobic rod shaped bacterium. The cell wall is composed of a thin peptidoglycan layer and outer membrane. It can be grown and cultured easily and inexpensively in a lab setting, thus making it one of the most studied bacteria. E. coli is known as a prokaryotic model organism. E. coli causing disease is caused by Shiga toxin that cause serious illness in people. Transmission of this pathogen is normally a common problem with contaminated cattle consumption and under

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 is the common cause of botulism. C. botulinum is found in areas with soil and aquatic sediments. C. botulinum are rod shaped and grow best in low oxygen conditions. These bacteria grow endospores that allow them to remain dormant until exposed to favorable conditions. There are seven types of botulism toxins, however, only A, B, E and F can cause harm to humans. (cdc.gov, 2014)

Clostridium tetani is a gram positive obligate anaerobe. This bacterium could be cultured in a blood agar medium at 35 °C for 24 hours. The bacteria will appear as a thin transparent film of swarming growth. The blood in the agar medium will also appear to be hemolyzed. This bacterium could also be viewed under a bright-field microscope after undergoing Gram staining. When viewed under the light microscope with Gram staining the bacteria will appear purple and have a bacillus shape with spores on the end that makes them look like a drumstick or tennis racket. Typical diagnosis of tetanus involves a physical exam, immunization history, and signs and symptoms because there are no hospital lab tests that can confirm tetanus. Doctors will look

In times of nutrient stress, some bacteria will form a persistent, impervious cell type called a spore. Specifically some bacteria respond to nutrient limitation by forming an endospore. The formation of the endospore is called sporulation, which has been extensively studied since the 19th century. Sporulation is in response to nutrient depletion and is a strategy for ensuring long term survival for the species. It is important to note that no one signal causes sporulation. It is the accumulation of many signals, detected in many ways to initiate sporulation. Endospore’s are resistant to environmental insults such as extremes of desiccation, radiation and temperature. Also endospores are chemical resistant. The many harmful chemicals that

B. cereus is known as a bacterium that tends to produce toxins in the body. Depending on the type of strain, this bacterium can be

Clostridium botulinum: A group of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria commonly found in nature. The bacteria form heat-resistant spores which allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to favorable conditions that support their growth. As C. botulinum grows best in anaerobic conditions, the bacteria and its spores occur in soil, bottom sediments of streams, lakes, and coastal waters, as well as in the intestinal tracts of fish and mammals, and in the gills and viscera of crabs and other shellfish. Because spores can survive for years, added to that their heat resistance, this makes them one of the most dangerous sources of poisoning in improperly cooked or processed foods.