Description and identification:
Clostridium botulinum is a kind of bacterium that is responsible for botulism. This is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium. There are 7 types of toxins caused by C.botulinum, A-G, but only 4 of these toxin are known to cause a disease in humans they are A, B,E, and F. Only type A is universal throughout the world. Toxin G is encoded in the plasmid unlike the rest are encoded in the bacterial chromosome. What is special about type C. Botulinum is that it can only produce its toxin during sporulation. Clostridium botulinum will only become active when the environmental conditions are appropriate but other than that the endospores of Clostridium botulinum will stay “asleep” in contaminated foods. This type of bacterium is kept in low pH in the range of 4.8-7 because this organism that cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. Clostridium botulinum is very hard to grow in lab due to its living condition.
History:
The history of botulism began back in 1735, when the disease was linked to German sausage. German physican by the name of Muller derived the name botulism from the Latin word for sausage. In 1895 Clostridium botulinum bacteria were first isolated, and in 1944 neurotoxin that it produces was isolated by Dr. Edward Schantz. Toxin named BoNTA in 1949 thought 1950s was proven to block neuromucleuar transmissions by blocking the release of acetylcholine from motor nerve endings. Even though botulsim toxic is one of the most toxic substance know by man and the bacteria have been used as weapon, it has also been used for medical purposes. In 1980, Dr. Scott used the toxin for the first time to treat strabismus, and on December 1989, BOTOX was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
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...ed in outbreaks lately. Commerically canned produced foods like salmon had two separate outbreaks of botulism in 20th century. Type E botulism was found in smoked fish which also caused a major outbreak in the last 20th century. Also, sautéed onions, chopped bottled garlic, and potato salad made from baked potatoes that restaurant use have been responsible for big number of botulism outbreaks in the last 20th century.
Reachers Have recently found a new type of botulinum toxin in 40 years, and in a highly rare move. They are keeping all the information from the news so no one can make it in a lab before an efficient antitoxin can be established.
Up to now, Clostridium botulinum was known to produce the seven types of toxins that already exist. All of them cause paralysis by delaying neurotransmitters in humans and animals. In 1970 is when the last toxin was found.
Clostridium difficile, otherwise known as C. diff, is a species of spore-forming, anaerobic, gram-positive bacteria that is known to cause watery diarrhea. 1 The genus name, Clostridium refers to the spindle shape of the organism while Difficile means difficult in Latin due to the fact that this organism thrives in unfavorable conditions and is very difficult to isolate.4 The incidence of getting CDI has increased over the years due to new strains of increased toxin production of the bacteria and increased resistance to antibiotics.2 It is a gastrointestinal infection, and the most common cause of infectious diarrhea.1 C. difficile was first identified in the feces of healthy newborns back in the 1930’s and by 1935, it was considered normal flora. 2 During 1974, researchers conducted that about 21% of patients that were treated with an antibiotic called clindamyacin reported diarrhea and about 10% of them reported to have conducted pseudomembranous colitis as a side effect of this treatment. 2 It was in 1978 where C. diff had been known to cause anti-biotic associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. 2 It is known to form spores that resist many disinfectants; it also survives for several months on different surfaces.1 It is a common form of a nosocomial infection and the prevalence of becoming infected with C. diff is about 0-15% in a health care setting. 3 The spores survive well in environments such as soil, water and animals and is distributed worldwide. 4 CDI produces two toxins (Toxin A and B), which are cytotoxic and cause tissue necrosis.4
Food-borne botulism was the first form of the botulism toxin to be identified. It has a very high morbidity with prolonged intensive health care required for a full recovery (Taillac, & Kim, 2010). Also, people who have been infected with food-borne botulism can sometimes have muscle weakness or other similar issues for up to a year after the first onset of symptoms. Food-borne botulism is typically caused by improperly canned food. The symptoms of food-borne botulism include, but are not limited to: double vision...
Though biological weapons have been available for under a century, there is a long history of their use between 1914 and 1972. Chemical warfare was first introduced in 1914 at the beginning of World War I. Because of the new style of warfare with automatic weapons, trenches were dug out from the ground to defend against a slaughter. The introduction of this issue caused us to invent weapons such as the grenade, flame thrower, and finally, biological weapons. Biological weapons were distributed by hoses, grenades, and aerial attacks. By doing this, we eliminated many enemy trenches and saved a large amount of Ally lives. (Menace)
Bacteria play a large role in our health, the environment, and most aspects of life. They can be used in beneficial ways, such as decomposing wastes, enhancing fertilizer for crops, and breaking down of substances that our bodies cannot. However, many bacteria can also be very harmful by causing disease. Understanding how to identify bacteria has numerous applications and is incredibly important for anyone planning to enter the medical field or begin a career in research. Having the background knowledge of identifying an unknown bacteria may one day aid healthcare professionals diagnose their patient with a particular bacterial infection or help researchers determine various clinical, agricultural, and numerous other uses for bacteria.
E. coli are bacteria that can cause an infection in various parts of your body, including your intestines. E. coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of people and animals. Most types of E. coli do not cause infections, but some produce a poison (toxin) that can cause diarrhea. Depending on the toxin, this can cause mild or severe diarrhea.
Botulism is a rare but very serious paralytic illness that is caused by the botulinum toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum is a gram positive, anaerobic, spore forming bacterium that is naturally occurring in soil. Botulism dates back to the eighteenth century when the first food borne botulism was documented. During this time many people were doing home fermented sausages and this was thought to be the cause of botulism. This is how the toxin got its name since “Botulism” in Latin comes from “botulus” which means sausage. E. van Ermengen was the first to discover the microbe in 1897 after there was a food borne outbreak in Ellezelles, Belgium. To date there are six forms of botulism but only two forms were known until the twentieth century which were food borne and wound botulism. The first type of botulism is food borne which is a result of ingesting food that contains the pre-form toxin. Some foods that this typically occurs in are home canned vegetables, cured pork and ham and smoked or raw fish. Wound botulism is the result of C. botulinum spores growing in a contaminated wound with in vivo production. Most people that get wound botulism usually have deep and contained avascular areas and many people also had compound fractures. Wound botulism is on the rise in the U.S. because of the use of illicit drugs, “the majority were linked to injectable drug use, particularly with so-called ‘black tar heroin’ and others with nasal or sinus lesions due to chronic cocaine sniffing.” (CDC website) Another form of botulism is infant botulism. This is caused from the endogenous production of toxin germinating spores of C. botulinum in the intestines of the infants. Also feeding an infant...
Simpson LL. Identification of the characteristics that underlie botulinum toxin potency: implications for designing novel drugs. Biochimie 2000:82: 943-953.
Ever since ancient times , poisons have been used for many purposes across the extent of human existence. Throughout its history , poisons/venoms were first used by ancient tribes & civilizations as a hunting tool to ensure a quick death of their prey. As the years progress , venoms were commonly used in fictional films , initially starting out in the United States. Venoms are poisonous substances that come from venomous creatures such as snakes & spiders. Most of the times, when venoms/poisons are used in movies , it is categorized as Sci - Fi. The reason being is because usually the toxins being used are fictional and whom the toxin used by , the toxin turns them (character) into a supernatural character with supernatural abilities. If this is not the case , then the toxin does what it’s suppose to do , which is to poison the victim and kills he/she.
Over a long period of time, scientists have wondered how the dosage of Tetrododoxin was perfected as the lethality of this toxin was
A nerve agent is made up of a group of chemicals which are highly toxic and they are called “organophosphates”. These organophosphates are very poisonous in terms of how it affects the nervous system (FM 4-02.285, 2007). They interrupt the body’s normal functions which just so happens to be something that is crucial to a human’s survival. It affects the nervous system by controlling the body functions by using chemicals that act as instructions to nerves, the glands and the muscles. Exposure to nerve agents is definitely something that would get in the way of how the nervous system actually works and would prevent it from working properly. Nerve agents first came into existence because researchers were on a hunt to find insecticides, but due to the very high levels of toxicity, they ended up being looked at for mil...
Salmonella is one danger that has caused many effects to consumers. Walsh writes about one incident when an outbreak “from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600,” (Walsh 167). This incident left many people asking the same question, how can we trust the food that we put into our bodies? Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ...
So, what is Botox? Botox is the market name for type A botulinum toxin which is a purified form of the toxin produced by the bacteria, clostridium botulinum. This bacteria is commonly associated with food poisoning and is lethal in large doses. The botulism toxin could paralyze vital muscles needed for breathing. Although related to botulism food poisoning, the amounts of Botox given are so minimal and localized, that the toxin will not spread to any other muscles in the body, thus making it a safe and harmless procedure. When used cosmetically, tiny amo...
Among hospitalized patients around the world, Clostridium difficile is the primary source of infectious diarrhea. Previously, continuously unbalanced intestinal microbiota, usually due to antimicrobials, was deemed a precondition of developing the infection. However, recently, there have been alterations in the biology from virtually infecting the elderly population exclusively, wherein the microbiota in their guts have been interrupted by antimicrobials, to currently infecting individuals within of all age groups displaying no recent antimicrobial use. Furthermore, recent reports have confirmed critical occurrences among groups previously assumed to be of minimal risk—pregnant women, children, and individuals with no previous exposure to antimicrobials, for instance. Unfortunately, this Gram-positive, toxin-producing anaerobic bacterium is estimated to cost US critical care facilities $800 million per year at present, suggesting the need for effective measures to eliminate this nosocomial infection (Yakob, Riley, Paterson, & Clements, 2013).
Microbes are microscopic life forms, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Although many microbes are single-celled, there are also numerous multi-cellular organisms. The human body has 10-100 trillion microbes living on it, making it one giant super-organism. Since the first link between microbes and diseases was made, people have been advised to wash their hands. Scientists, however, have recently started to investigate more closely how the microbes that call the human body home affect our health. While some microbes cause disease, others are more beneficial, working with our bodies in many subtle ways.
Food borne illnesses are caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There are many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens. In addition, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances can cause food borne illnesses if they are present in food. More than two hundred and fifty different food borne illnesses have been described; almost all of these illnesses are infections. They are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be food borne. (Center 1)