Botulism

Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease cau.sed by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. 

Botulism is not spread from one person to another. Foodborne botulism can occur in all age groups. 

A supply of antitoxin against botulism is maintained by CDC. The antitoxin is effective in reducing tlie severity of symptoms if administered early in the course of the disease. Most patients eventually recover after weeks to months of supportive care. 

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. There are three main kinds of botulism. Foodbome botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. Wound botulism is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin. All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies. Foodbome botulism can be especially dangerous because many people can be poisoned by eating a contaminated food. 

Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly found in soil. These rodshaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form spores which allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. There are seven types of botulism toxin designated by the letters A through G only types A. B. E and F cause illness in humans. 

Disseminates from initial body site via blood and lymphatics to nerve terminals, blocking release of acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions, ganglionic nerve endings, and postganglionic parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve endings 

Bowel sounds - decreased/absent (ileus, adynamic) Breathing, rest - difficult (rest dyspnea) 

Breathing - irregular Cranial nerve III - palsy Cranial nerve IV - palsy Cranial nerve VI - palsy Dizziness (lightheadedness) 

Mentation - conscious Mentation - fatigue Gait - ataxic Head - pain (headache) 

Mood - anxious Mood - lethargic Mouth - dry (xerostomia) 

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Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite. Nitrates and nitrites ate used in meat-curing processes to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause botulism. Nitrates have been shown to form low, but possibly toxic, levels of nitrosamines in certain cured meats. For this reason, the safety of these products has been questioned, and use is limited (80). 

Botulinum neurotoxins (A-G), tetanus toxin Synaptic peptides a) Synapto-brevin b) Syntaxin c) SNAP25 Zinc dependent endoprotease Cleavage of synaptic peptides Inhibition of transmitter release (tetanus, botulism)... 

Botulism is a disease caused by ingestion of foods contaminated with Clostridium botulinum (food-borne botulism) or, very rarely, by wound infection (wound botulism) or colonization of the intestinal tract with Clostridium botulinum (infant botulism). The toxins block the release of acetylcholine. Botulism is characterized by generalized muscular weakness, which first affects eye and throat muscles and later extends to all skeletal muscles. Flaccid paralysis can lead to respiratory failure. 

Sodium nitrite is used to fix the colors in preserved fish and meats. It is also important (along with sodium chloride) in controlling the bacterium Clostridium botulinumy which causes botulism. Lunch meats, hams, sausages, hot dogs, and bacon are usually preserved this way. 

Sodium nitrate has been used for centuries to cure meat. Bacterial action during curing converts the sodium nitrate into sodium nitrite, which kills the bacteria that cause botulism, and combines with the myoglobin in the meat to form the pink color associated with ham. 

Bacterial vaccines less generally available than those listed in the table include botulism vaccine, necrotizing enteritis... 

Bacteria not only attack teeth but can also make people extremely sick. Therefore, canned food must be specially prepared to prevent the growth of bacteria. This is usually done by boiling or steaming. People who can their own food at home, however, do not have the sophisticated machines that food-canning manufacturers have. Even so, there are other methods that home canners can use to preserve their own food and keep their families safe. For example, high heat can be used to kill the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which causes one deadly form of food poisoning called botulism. Acidic conditions will also kill C. botulinum. Because the bacteria cannot survive at a pH below 4.5, very acidic foods such as tomatoes, pears, and peaches are safe for home canning. 

The function of sodium nitrite, NaN02, as a food additive is two-fold (1) it inhibits the oxidation of blood, preventing the discoloring of red meat, and (2) it prevents the growth of botulism bacteria. There is now some controversy regarding this food additive because nitrites are suspected of combining with amines under the acidic conditions of the stomach to produce carcinogenic nitrosoamines. 

World Health Organization. Fact Sheet 270 Botulism. Geneva Health Communications and Public Relations, August 2002. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Rabies, hepatoencephalopathy, leukoen-cephalomalacia, protozoal encephalomyelitis, equine herpes virus 1, verminous men-ingoencephalomyelitis, cranial trauma, botulism, and meningitis. In birds Newcastle disease virus, avian encephalomyelitis virus, botulism, and listeriosis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis African horse sickness, anthrax, botulism, pasteurellosis, equine influenza, peracute equine herpesvirus 1 infection, and ingestion of plant or agricultural poisons. 

Diseases selectively targeting spinal cord and brainstem motor neurons (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the familial spinal muscular atrophies) or the presynaptic component of neuromuscular junctions (e.g. Lambert-Eaton syndrome, botulism and Ixodes tick paralysis) cause weakness without sensory impairment. Disorders involving the enteric nervous system (e.g. Chagas disease and Hirschsprung s disease) impair bowel motility. 

Measuring muscle-evoked responses to repetitive motor nerve electrical stimulation permits detection of presyn-aptic neuromuscular junction dysfunction. In botulism and the Lambert-Eaton syndrome, repetitive stimulation elicits a smaller than normal skeletal muscle response at the beginning of the stimulus train, due to impaired initial release of acetylcholine-containing vesicles from presyn-aptic terminals of motor neurons followed by a normal or accentuated incremental muscle response during repeated stimulation. This incremental response to repetitive stimulation in presynaptic neuromuscular disorders can be distinguished from the decremental response that characterizes autoimmune myasthenia gravis, which affects the postsynaptic component of neuromuscular junctions. 

Charcot- Marie ibolli type 1A Botulism, cisplatin neuropathy Miller-Fisher syndrome... 

Guides for Emergency Response Biological Agent or Weapon Botulism... 

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