Botulism << BOCH uh lihz uhm >> is a kind of food poisoning that affects the nervous system and results from improperly canned or preserved food. It is caused by a toxin (poison) produced by bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. These bacteria live mainly in the soil and grow only where there is no oxygen. They produce cells called spores that can survive the temperature of boiling water (212 °F, or 100 °C) for hours. The spores may live in improperly canned food. If the food lacks oxygen, the spores become active bacteria and secrete botulinum toxin into the food. Modern commercial canning methods have made botulism rare in the United States.
Botulinum toxin is absorbed by the intestine and carried to the nerves, where it may cause paralysis. Unless victims are kept breathing by artificial means, they may die of suffocation because the muscles used in breathing are paralyzed. An antitoxin (drug that counteracts poisons) has been developed for botulinum toxin. Botulism antitoxin can reduce the severity of the symptoms.
A type of botulism called infant botulism affects babies. Unlike botulism from canned foods, which results from eating foods contaminated with botulinum toxins, infant botulism results from swallowing the botulinum spores themselves. The spores produce the toxin within the baby’s intestines. Botulinum spores are found in honey and many other raw agricultural products. By the age of 1 year, babies have developed bacteria in their intestines that stop the growth of botulinum organisms.
Doctors use botulinum toxin to treat conditions caused by abnormal muscle spasms, such as the chronic eyelid spasm known as blepharospasm. Injecting a minute amount of toxin into the affected muscles causes them to relax. The toxin, marketed as Botox, is also used to relax facial muscles and thus improve the appearance of wrinkled skin. Botox is also approved for treating migraine headaches and several other conditions. Scientists are investigating other uses of the toxin.
See also Clostridium.
