- Clostridium botulinum is a rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium found in soil that produces botulinum toxin. It forms spores which allow it to survive unfavorable conditions. - The toxin acts by blocking the release of acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions, causing flaccid paralysis. There are 7 types of toxin (A-G) which cause different forms of botulism in humans and animals. - Botulism results from ingesting foods containing preformed toxin, with symptoms beginning 18-24 hours later such as visual disturbances, difficulty swallowing and speaking. Treatment involves antitoxin administration and supportive care.

2.  MORPHOLOGY
 PATHOGENESIS
 TOXINS
 CLINICAL FINDINGS
 LABORATORY TESTS
 TREATMENT
 PREVENTION & CONTROL

3.  Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, is worldwide
in distribution; it is found in soil and occasionally in animal
feces.
 Clostridium botulinum is a rod-shaped microorganism.
 It is an obligate anaerobe, meaning that oxygen is poisonous
to the cells.
 However,C. botunlinum tolerates traces of oxygen due to the
enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD) which is an
important antioxidant defense in nearly all cells exposed to
oxygen.
 C. botulinum does not form endospores as a way to protect
the viability of the organism, but rather as a mechanism to
produce the neurotoxin.
 C. botulinum is only able to produce the neurotoxin during
sporulation, which can only happen in an anaerobic
environment.

4.  Other bacterial species produce spores in an
unfavorable growth environment to preserve the
organism's viability and permit survival in a dormant
state until the spores are exposed to favorable
conditions.
 In the laboratory Clostridium botulinum is usually
isolated in tryptose sulfite cycloserine (TSC) growth
media in an anaerobic environment with less than 2%
of oxygen.
 C. botulinum is a lipase negative microorganism that
grows between pH of 4.8 and 7 and it can't
use lactose as a primary carbon source
 Spores of the organism are highly resistant to heat,
withstanding 100 °C for several hours.

5.  Although C.botulinum types A and B have been implicated in
cases of wound infection and botulism, most often the illness is
not an infection.
 Rather, it is an intoxication resulting from the ingestion of food
in which C botulinum has grown and produced toxin.
 The most common offenders are spiced, smoked, vacuum-
packed, or canned alkaline foods that are eaten without
cooking.
 In such foods, spores of C botulinum germinate; under
anaerobic conditions, vegetative forms grow and produce toxin.
 The toxin acts by blocking release of acetylcholine at synapses
and neuromuscular junctions.
 Flaccid paralysis results. [reduced muscle tone]
 The electromyogram strength tests are typical.

6.  During the growth of C botulinum and during autolysis
of the bacteria, toxin is liberated into the environment.
 Seven antigenic varieties of toxin (A–G) are known.
 Types A, B, and E (and occasionally F) are the principal
causes of human illness.
 Types A and B have been associated with a variety of
foods
 Type E predominantly with fish products.
 Type C produces limberneck in birds;
 Type D causes botulism in mammals.
 The toxin is a 150,000-MW protein that is cleaved into
100,000-MW and 50,000-MW proteins linked by a
disulfide bond.

7.  Botulinum toxin is absorbed from the gut and binds to
receptors of presynaptic membranes of motor neurons of
the peripheral nervous system and cranial nerves.
 Proteolysis—by the light chain of botulinum toxin—of the
target proteins in the neurons inhibits the release of
acetylcholine at the synapse, resulting in lack of muscle
contraction and paralysis.
 The proteins are synaptobrevin, SNAP 25, and syntaxin.
 The toxins of C botulinum types A and E cleave the 25,000-
MW SNAP-25.
 Type B toxin cleaves synaptobrevin.
 C botulinum toxins are among the most toxic substances
known: The lethal dose for a human is probably about 1–2
g.
 The toxins are destroyed by heating for 20 minutes at 100
°C.

8.  Symptoms begin 18–24 hours after ingestion of the toxic
food, with visual disturbances (incoordination of eye
muscles, double vision), inability to swallow, and speech
difficulty;
 signs of paralysis are progressive, and death occurs from
respiratory paralysis or cardiac arrest.
 Gastrointestinal symptoms are not regularly prominent.
 There is no fever.
 The patient remains fully conscious until shortly before
death.
 In the United States, infant botulism is as common as or
more common than the classic form of paralytic botulism
associated with the ingestion of toxin-contaminated food.

9.  The infants in the first months of life develop poor
feeding, weakness, and signs of paralysis ("floppy
baby").
 Infant botulism may be one of the causes of
sudden infant death syndrome.
 C botulinum and botulinum toxin are found in
feces but not in serum.
 It is assumed that C botulinum spores are in the
babies' food, yielding toxin production in the gut.
 Honey has been implicated as a possible vehicle
for the spores.

10.  Mice injected with toxin intraperitoneally die
rapidly.
 The antigenic type of toxin is identified by
neutralization with specific antitoxin in mice.
 C botulinum may be grown from food remains
and tested for toxin production.
 In infant botulism, C botulinum and toxin can
be demonstrated in bowel contents but not in
serum.
 Toxin may be demonstrated by passive
hemagglutination or radioimmunoassay.

11.  Potent antitoxins to three types of botulinum toxins
have been prepared in horses.
 Since the type responsible for an individual case is
usually not known, trivalent (A, B, E) antitoxin must be
promptly administered intravenously with customary
precautions.
 Adequate ventilation must be maintained by
mechanical respirator, if necessary.
 These measures have reduced the mortality rate from
65% to below 25%.
 Although most infants with botulism recover with
supportive care alone, antitoxin therapy is
recommended.

12.  Botulinum toxin is considered to be a major agent for
bioterrorism and biologic warfare.
 Since spores of C botulinum are widely distributed in
soil, they often contaminate vegetables, fruits, and other
materials.
 A chief risk factor for botulism lies in home-canned
foods, particularly string beans, corn, peppers, olives,
peas, and smoked fish or vacuum-packed fresh fish in
plastic bags.
 Toxic foods may be spoiled and rancid, and cans may
"swell," or the appearance may be innocuous.
 When such foods are canned or otherwise preserved,
they either must be sufficiently heated to ensure
destruction of spores or must be boiled for 20 minutes
before consumption.