Infant botulism toxicity

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. 

The clostridial neurotoxins are the most toxic substances known to science. The neurotoxin produced from Clostridium tetani (tetanus toxin) is encountered by humans as a result of wounds and remains a serious public health problem in developing countries around the world. However, nearly everyone reared in the western world is protected from tetanus toxin as a result of the ordinary course of childhood immunizations. Humans are usually exposed to the neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum (ie, the botu-linum toxins, of which there are seven in all) by means of food poisoning, although there are rare incidents of wound botulism and a colonizing infection of neonates known as infant botulism.1 Since the incidence of botulinum poisoning by all routes is very rare,... 

Dezfulian et al. (8) evaluated ELISA for detecting type Aand B toxins in fecal samples from infants for diagnosis of infant botulism. The ELISA gave positive results for all 22 infant specimens that had been confirmed as toxic by bioassay, and for 5 specimens confirmed by culture but not by bioassay. Positive ELISA results were obtained with specimens not confirmed by conventional means these were possibly false positives. Rubin et al. reported detecting of antibodies reactive to botulism toxin preparations in serum samples from two infants who had recovered from infant botulism (59). 

Two types of illness are associated with the botulinum toxin, infant and adult botulism. An adult becomes iU by eating spoiled food that contains the toxin. Infants become ill from eating the spores of the botulinum bacterium. One source of these spores comes from the ingestion of honey. Spores are not normally toxic to adults. Botulinum toxins work by binding to the presynaptic nerve terminal at the neuromuscular junction and at cholinergic autononuc sites. They then act to stop the release of acetylchloline presynaptically, thus blocking neurotransmission. 

The toxin BoTx, produced by the anaerobe Clostridium botulinum, has the reputation of being the most toxic substance by weight known to humans, being at least 5000 times more toxic than sarin. Botulism is a disease of both humans and animals. Seven dilferent functionally related neurotoxins are produced by various strains (A-G). Botulism is essentially an intoxication, brought on by ingestion of the toxin produced by clostridial infection of food, usually incorrectly canned meats. Primary botulism, a direct infection, is rare and only affects infants in the human species. Botulinum intoxication can, however, be treated, and this modifies the toxicity considerably. It is estimated that less than 10 % of natural cases receiving ventilatory and antitoxin support are fatal. 

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