Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum is a spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium that can produce botulinum neurotoxin, the cause of botulism.

Botulinum neurotoxin: A potent bacterial protein toxin that blocks acetylcholine release at nerve endings and can cause flaccid paralysis. This is the molecule some strains produce that causes botulism.
Foodborne botulism: A form of botulism caused by eating food containing botulinum neurotoxin. It commonly follows ingestion of toxin produced as C. botulinum grows in food.
Clostridium: A genus of Gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria, many of which grow in oxygen-poor environments. C. botulinum belongs to this diverse genus of anaerobic spore-formers.
Emile van Ermengem: A Belgian microbiologist who identified the bacterium associated with a 1895 botulism outbreak. His investigation established the link between the organism and botulism.
Endospore: A dormant, resistant structure formed by certain bacteria to survive harsh conditions. C. botulinum spores persist in environments where growing cells cannot survive.
Infant botulism: A disease in infants caused when ingested spores germinate and produce botulinum neurotoxin in the intestine. In this form, swallowed C. botulinum spores—not preformed food toxin—lead to illness.
Botulinum toxin serotypes: Immunologically distinct types of botulinum neurotoxin, designated A through G and additional proposed types. Different toxin types are produced by strains historically grouped under this species name.
Clostridium botulinum genome: The genetic material of C. botulinum, including genes that vary across strains and toxin-producing groups. Genomic comparisons reveal why strains assigned to this species are diverse.
Anaerobic respiration: Energy production that uses an electron acceptor other than oxygen, or proceeds without oxygen-dependent respiration. The bacterium grows under oxygen-free conditions, including in improperly preserved foods.
Wound botulism: A rare form of botulism in which toxin is produced by bacteria growing in a wound. C. botulinum can produce toxin in anaerobic tissue rather than contaminated food.

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