Question

Define botulism. Name the bacterium responsible for botulism.

Answer 1

Hint: Paralysis is the loss of function of the muscle in an individual’s body. It usually happens when there is something wrong with the messages sent between the brain and the muscles. Botulism is a condition in which paralysis of the muscles is seen.

Complete step by step answer: Botulism is an illness that causes flaccid paralysis of muscles. A neurotoxin, called botulinum toxin, causes botulism, and the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces the neurotoxin. There are seven distinct neurotoxins that Clostridium botulinum produces, but only three are the most common that produce flaccid paralysis in humans. The other types mainly cause disease in animals and birds, which also develop flaccid paralysis. The botulinum toxin causes the disease by blocking the release of acetylcholine from motor nerve endings. This results in the production of the symptoms associated with botulism. The risk for developing botulism is increased by ingesting foods that may be improperly treated to kill C. botulinum bacteria and their spores and to denature any toxins. For example, some home-canning methods or a failure in a canning company's production of canned foods like tomatoes or fish.
There are three types of botulism:
1. Food-borne botulism: It is caused by eating food that contains botulinum neurotoxin.
2. Wound botulism: It is caused by a neurotoxin produced within a wound that is infected with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
3. Infant botulism: It occurs when an infant consumes the spores of the botulinum bacteria. The bacterial spores germinate, then grow in the intestines, and release the neurotoxin.

Note: The major symptoms include difficulty in breathing, swallowing and chewing, Nausea, vomiting, drooling, urine retention, etc. There are three types of botulism- Food borne, wound, and infant botulism.