Botulinum Toxin

Botulinum Toxin By kurt rhines and joey stover

Botulinum is a Neurotoxin. Neurotoxins are poisons that act upon the brain.

Botulinum is caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum and it is one of the most toxic biological substances in the world.

Botulinum has an estimated human median lethal dose (LD50) of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg intravenously or intramuscularly and 10–13 ng/kg when inhaled. A single gram, evenly dispersed can kill over a million people.

Difficulty Swallowing/Speaking, Dry mouth, Facial weakness, Blurred or double vision, Drooping eyelids, Trouble breathing, Nausea, Vomiting, and Paralysis

Botulinum toxin is detected using a mass Spectrometry test and takes about three to four hours. It can be used for in people, foods and liquids, and the environment.

For foodborne botulism often a doctor will prescribe something to induce vomiting or bowel movements. Wound botulism may require infected tissue to be surgically removed and there are antibodies for wound botulism.

Lasting effects of botulism can include fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth and difficultly performing strenuous tasks.

First discovered in 1735 in Germany. The word botulism comes from the Latin word for sausage because it was suspected to be linked to sausage. Multiple countries during WWII sought to use it and it was even tested on Canadian wilderness(reportedly killing every single animal) but was never actually used in the war.

References

Davis, C. P. (n.d.). Botulism (M. C. Stöppler, Ed.). Retrieved March 30, 2017, from

http://www.medicinenet.com/botulism/page4.htm

Kumar, D. R., Kumar, S. M., Padma, S., & Pallavi, G. (2010, November). Botulinum toxin: Bioweapon &

magic drug. Retrieved April 3, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3028942/

Staff. (n.d.). Diseases and Conditions; Botulism. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/

diseases-conditions/botulism/basics/treatment/con-20025875

Sterba, J. P. (1982, April 28). The history of boulism. The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/28/garden/the-history-of-botulism.html

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Botulinum Toxin By kurt rhines and joey stover

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