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Botulism |
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Botulinum toxin is the single most poisonous known substance. There
are three main kinds of botulism. Foodborne botulism is caused by eating
foods that contain the botulism toxin and is especially dangerous because many
people can be poisoned by eating a contaminated food. 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 toxins. All forms of botulism can
be fatal and are considered medical emergencies. The following references aid in
recognizing disease characteristics and hazards associated with botulinum toxin.
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Botulism. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Provides links to fact sheets and overviews and information on infection
control, laboratory testing, and surveillance and investigation.
- Botulism.
MedlinePlus. Provides
links to botulism topics including clinical trials, diagnosis, symptoms,
prevention, and infant botulism.
- Botulism.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Bacterial and
Mycotic Diseases. Answers frequently asked questions related to botulism.
- Botulism.
World Health Organization (WHO) Fact Sheet No. 270, (2002, August). Includes information about symptoms, different types of intoxication due to
the botulinum toxin, prevention, and treatment.
- Clostridium Botulinum. World Health Organization (WHO), International Programme on Chemical Safety, 146 KB
PDF, 32 pages. Provides a thorough
overview of botulism, its associated bacteria, and the toxins they produce.
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Current Description of Botulism: Identification. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA),
School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. Includes a description of the
various forms of botulism, its mode of transmission, and data on its
occurrence.
Bioterrorist Threat Evaluation
On September 11, 2001, following the terrorist incidents
in New York City and Washington, DC, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommended heightened surveillance for any unusual disease
occurrence or increased numbers of illnesses that might be associated with the
terrorist attacks.
Botulinum toxin poses a bioweapons threat because of its extreme potency and
lethality, ease of production, and the potential need for intensive care of
affected persons. A number of states named by the US State Department as
"state sponsors of terrorism" have developed or are developing botulinum toxin
as a biological weapon. The following references provide information on
evaluating the threat of botulinum toxin being used as biological weapon.
- Blue Book, Sixth Edition. US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID),
(2005, April), 2.2 MB
PDF, 187
pages.
Published by USAMRIID,
the lead medical research laboratory for the US Biological Defense
Research Program. The Institute plays a key role as the only laboratory in
the Department of Defense (DoD) equipped to safely study highly hazardous
infectious agents requiring maximum containment at biosafety level (BSL)-4.
- Botulinum, pp. 93-99. Includes toxin characteristics, clinical features,
medical management and prophylaxsis.
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Zajtchuk, Brigadier General Russ.
Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare.
(1997). Office of the
Surgeon General, Borden Institute, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Textbook of military medicine.
- Middlebrook, John L. and , David R. Franz. "Chapter 33: Botulinum Toxins."
106 KB
PDF, 12 pages.
Provides a thorough discussion of botulinum toxins,
including biowarfare history, and biochemical descriptions of the toxins and
their pathogenesis.
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Botulism. University of Minnesota (UM), Center for Infectious
Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). Offers an
overview of botulism, including pathogenesis, microbiology, and epidemiology, and provides current news items, images, and resources related to
bioterrorism.
- Botulism FAQ, 2005
Botulism FAQ, 2005. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Center for Biosecurity.
Answers basic questions regarding the signs and symptoms of botulism, how
long it takes to develop and recover, what treatments and vaccines exist.
- Recognition of Illness Associated with the Intentional Release of a Biologic Agent.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 50(41);893-7, (2001, October 19). Provides guidance for health-care providers and public health personnel
about recognizing illnesses or patterns of illness that might be associated
with an intentional release of biologic agents.
- Arnon, Steven S., et al. "Botulinum Toxin as a Biological Weapon." Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA), 285.8(2001, February 28). Considers the aerosol or foodborne dissemination of botulinum toxin
and provides a variety of facts
about botulism/botulinum toxin, including its history as a bioweapon,
microbiology, pathogenesis/clinical manifestation, epidemiology, diagnosis,
therapy, prophylaxis, and decontamination.
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