Botulism infant

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. 

Botulism is a potent neurotoxin produced from Clostridium botulinum that is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium. There are three different types ofbotulism Foodborne botulism occurs when a person ingests a pre-formed toxin that leads to illness within a few hours or days. Foodborne botulism is a public health emergency because the contaminated food may still be available. Infant botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract. Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with C. botulinum that secretes the toxin. Approximately 100 cases of the three types of botulism are reported within the United States each year about 5 percent are wound botulism, 25 percent are foodborne botulism, and a full 70 percent are infant botulism. Death can result from respiratory failure, but those who survive may have fatigue and shortness of breath for years. 

Botulism Toxin that occurs in the form of food-borne botulism, wound botulism, and infant botulism one of the most toxic substances known to man. 

Adult botulism is a very rare syndrome and its etiology is similar to infant botulism. 

Tabita, K., Sakaguchi, S., Kozaki, S. and Sakaguchi, G., Distinction between Clostridium botulinum type A strains associated with food-bome botulism and those with infant botulism in Japan in intraintestinal toxin production in infant mice and some other properties, FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 63, 2-3, 251-256,1999. 

Tanzi, M.G. and Gabay, M.P., Association between honey consumption and infant botulism. Pharmacotherapy, 22, 1479-1483, 2002. 

Botulism is most commonly caused by ingestion of a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned food. Poisoning may also occur after wound contamination with the organism. Infant botulism may occur when spores of the organism germinate and manufacture the toxin in the intestinal tract of infants. Botulinum toxin works by inhibiting ACh release at all cholinergic synapses. 

Ami RK, Ward RJ (1996) Phospholipase A2-a structural review. Toxicon 34 827—41 Amon SS (1980) Infant botulism. Annu Rev Med 31 541-60... 

Middlebrook JL, Brown JE (1995) Immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy of tetanus and botulinum neurotoxins. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 195 89-122 Midura TF, Amon SS (1976) Infant botulism, identification of Clostridium botulinum and its toxins in faeces. Lancet 2 934-6... 

Gastrointestinal colonization in adults or children by clostridial bacteria does not typically take place except under circumstances where the normal flora has been altered by antibiotic treatment (Cheiington, 1998). Botulism results from in vivo production of toxin, analogous to the pathogenesis of infant botulism (McCroskey and Hatheway, 1988 Chia et al, 1986). Support for this form of botulism is provided by demonstration of prolonged excretion of toxin and C. botulinum in stool and/or by the demonstration of C. botulinum spores but not preformed toxin in suspected foods. 

The natural occurrence of human foodbome and infant botulism translates into a wealth of information on the clinical signs and symptoms of disease. This information can be compared to the array of physiological and pathological findings in various species of experimental animals after oral administration of BoNTs. The ability for inhaled BoNTs to produce illness has also been documented in... 

Amon, S.S. (1998). Infant botulism. In Textbook of Pediatric Infections of the Gastrointestinal Tract (R.D. Feigen, J.D. Cherry, eds). W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia. 

Synonyms Clostridium botulinum-, Foodborne (classic) botulism Infant botulism Wound botulism Unclassified botulism... 

Monitoring for impending respiratory failure should include continued assessment of the adequacy of gag and cough reflexes, oxygen saturation, vital capacity and inspiratory force. Control of oropharyngeal secretions is essential. Patients at risk for hypoventilation usually develop airway obstruction or aspiration. In patients with botulism, deterioration of respiratory function is an indication for controlled, anticipatory ventilation. The proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation has varied from 20% in a food-borne outbreak to 60% in infant botulism. 

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