Sandbox WWC1: Difference between revisions

Botulinum Toxin (BTX) is produced by three species of obligate anaerobe bacterium, primarily ''Clostridium botulism'', but ''Clostridium baratii'' and ''Clostridium butyricum'' also produce the protein <ref>Hall JD, McCroskey LM, Pincomb BJ, Hatheway CL. Isolation of an organism resembling Clostridium baratii which produces type F botulinal toxin from an infant with botulism. J Clin Microbiol. 1985;21:654-655. 36. </ref> <ref name="Aureli"> PMID: 3722863</ref> <ref>Arnon SS. Botulism as an intestinal toxemia. In: Blaser MJ, Smith PD, Ravdin JI, Greenberg HB, Guerrant RL, eds. Infections of the Gastrointestinal Tract. New York, NY: Raven Press; 1995:257-271.</ref>. ''Clostridium botulism'' is commonly found in soil, marine sediments, and the gut of grazing animals <ref>Ward BQ, Carroll BJ, Garrett ES, GB Reese. Survey of the U.S. Gulf Coast for the presence of Clostridium botulinum. Appl Microbiol. 1967;15:629–636. 26.</ref> <ref> Smith LDS. The occurrence of Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani in the soil of the United States. Health Lab Sci. 1978;15:74–80. 27. </ref> <ref>Sugiyama H. Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin. Microbiol Rev. 1980;44:419–448. 28. Dodds KL. Clostridium botulinum in the environment. In: Hauschild AHW </ref> <ref>Dodds KL, eds. Clostridium botulinum—Ecology and Control in Foods. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc; 1992: 21–51. 29. </ref> <ref>Popoff MR. Ecology of neurotoxigenic strains of clostridia. In: Montecucco C, ed. Current Topics in Microbiology: Clostridial Neurotoxins. The Molecular Pathogenesis of Tetanus and Botulism. Vol 195. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag; 1995: 1–29. </ref>  .BTX is only produced by these bacteria when there are anaerobic conditions that induce spore germination. Once produced, the protein can have toxic effects on animals and humans by causing botulism, a potentially fatal illness. BTX is also the active component of Botox.