Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium, spore-forming that produces neurotoxins. The spores that are produced are heat-resistant and can survive in foods that are not processed correctly. C. botulinum contains seven different types, which are all based on toxin produced by each strain. The powerful neurotoxins prevent the release of acetyl choline at the neuromuscular junction and cause an inhibition of muscle contraction. Three strains cause human botulism and the others are mostly in animals; such as cow, fish, horse, and poultry. Many of the strains of Clostridium live in soils, aquatic sediments and the intestinal tracts of animals and grow in temperatures ranging from 30-40 degrees Celsius.
There are three main types of botulism: Food borne, Wound, and Infant botulism. Food botulism is produced by (as stated above) eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. The Infant form, which affects infants at the age of 12 months and below, is caused by the consumption of the botulism spores which colonize and produce a toxin within the intestines. The way of consumption is usually through soil, cistern water, dust, food, and most commonly associated with honey. The most rare form of botulism is wound botulism, which is caused when C. botulinum by itself or in conjunction with other microbes that infect a wound through the bloodstream.
In the United States there are about 100 cases of botulism reported each year, most of them being in the infant form and then food borne. Many symptoms include blurred and double vision, slurred speech, and difficulty in swallowing, dry mouth and muscle pain. If left untreated severe cases can result in paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk, and respiratory muscles or even death. The disease can however be treated if caught in time with antitoxins that stop the toxin from circulating in the bloodstream and removing the contaminated food from the stomach. As for respiratory failure a patient may have to be on a ventilator and under careful watch until the paralysis is gone.
Because common cases of food botulism is due to home canning foods, one should make sure they follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce any contamination. As for infants, because the disease is highly associated with honey, children under the age of one should not be fed honey.
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap2.html
http://www.sciencenet.com.au/frames/profiles/positive/families/bacillac/profile.htm*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
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