Clostridium botulinum

1. Clostridium Botulinium
Zainab Mukhtar
HSM201-0001/2020

2. Morphology
• Gram positive
pleomorphic rods in
filaments or chains
• Non capsulated
• Endosperm forming
• Obligate anaerobes
• Sluggishly motile

3. Virulence Factors
• Botulinium toxin
• Heat and light resistant spores

4. Cultural characteristics
• Media; blood agar, egg yolk agar, cooked
meat agar, MacConkey’s agar
• Colonies characteristics(
• 1. Group 1; 3-8mm, rounded, opaque,
matt/ semigloss(A, proteolytic B&F)
• 2. Group 2; 1-3mm, circular, greyish,
semitransluscent, ground glass surface (E,
non protolytic B&F)
• 3.Group3; 1-3mm, circular, entire, raused,
greyish white, matt (non protolytic C&D)
• 4. Group 0.5-1mm, greyish, transluscent,

6. Classification
• 7 Serotypes; A,B,C,D,E,F,G
• 4 Phenotypic groups

7. Epidemiology
• Worldwide distribution and are
saprophytes
• Commonly present in soil, skin of fruits
and vegetables, animal manure, sea mud
etc
• Spores are readily dispersed by dust and
aerosols
• intestinal tract of animals

8. Pathogenesis

9. Clostridium Botulinum Toxin
• Clostridium botulinum synthesize
exotoxins that serve as non-toxic protoxins
or progenitor toxins.
• Botulinum exotoxin is considerably the
most potent or fatal substance known to
humankind with LD of less than 1µg hence
natural immunity to the toxin doesnt
develop
• The toxin is formed in vitro; in food, except
in infants where it is formed in vivo; in gut

10. Toxin
• Stability: acidic conditions
• Chemistry: Initially exists as a single
inactive polypeptide chain of molecular
weight 150 kDa and lacks a leader
sequence. The protease enzyme functions
to cleave the neurotoxin into active di-
chain neurotoxins.
• Absorption: Small intestine is a site, which
mainly absorbs the botulinum exotoxin (in
an active form).

11. • Toxin inactivation: The temperature of 80
degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes and at
100 degrees Celsius for at least 10
minutes can cause toxin inactivation.

12. • Effect: Botulinum neurotoxin blocks ACH
synthesis (Acetylcholine) at the synapses
and neuromuscular junction and results in
paralysis. In severe illness, the exotoxin
leads to respiratory paralysis, which
eventually causes death

13. Exposure/ Transmission
• 3 subtypes of botulinism
• Infant botulinusm: due to spore ingestion;
associated with honey or soil
• Foodborne botulinism: due to ingestion of
prefromed toxin from contaminated food;
associated with canned food and poorly
pasturized food
• Wound botulinism: associated with IV drug
abuse; infected wound

14. Clinical features
• Autonomic symptoms- xerotsomia,
dysautonomia
• Bulbar symptoms- Dysphagia, dysarthria
• Cranial nerve palsies-mydriasis, lack of
pupilary accomodation
• Descending flaccid paralysis
• Eyelid drooping
• Floppy baby syndrom- neonatal hypotonia
• GIT symptoma- nausea, vomiting,
constipation

16. Treatmeant
• Infant botulinism- Botulinism
Immunoglobulin, enema
• Wound botulinism- Antitoxin, surgical
debridement
• Foodborne- Antitoxin, medication induced
bowel emptying, mechanical ventilation

17. Lab diagnosis
• Clinical sample:feaces, vomitus, food,
wound exudate
• Direct demonstration of
organism:fluorescence antibody procedure
• Culture: BA,egg yolk agar,

18. Control measures
• keep clean
• cook throughly
• separate raw and cooked food
• use safe water
• keep food at safe temparature

19. significance
• Used to produce medicaments like Botox;
used in cosmetic industry
• can be used to relieve muscle pain,treat
hyperhydrosis,overactive bladder and lazy
eye
• Can also be used to treat chronic
migraines.

20. THANK YOU