botulism

Also known as Botulism poisoning, Food poisoning due to Clostridium botulinum, Foodborne botulism, Infection due to clostridium botulinum, Intoxication with Clostridium botulinum toxin, Wound botulism (subtype), Infant botulism (subtype)

Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, feeling tired, and trouble speaking. This may then be followed by weakness of the arms, chest muscles, and legs. Vomiting, swelling of the abdomen, and diarrhea may also occur. The disease does not usually affect consciousness or cause a fever.

AI overview

Botulism is a rare but potentially deadly illness caused by a toxin produced by a specific bacterium that typically starts with weakness, blurred vision, and fatigue before progressing to affect the arms, chest, and legs. The disease matters because it can be serious enough to be life-threatening, though it generally does not cause fever or loss of consciousness.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical condition (new).caption: A 14-year-old boy with botulism, characterised by weakness of the eye muscles and the drooping eyelids shown in the left image, and dilated and non-moving pupils shown in the right image. This person was fully conscious.
Medical condition (new).field: Infectious disease, gastroenterology
Medical condition (new).symptoms: Weakness, trouble seeing, feeling tired, trouble speaking
Medical condition (new).complications: Respiratory failure
Medical condition (new).onset: 12 to 72 hours
Medical condition (new).duration: Variable
Medical condition (new).types: Foodborne, wound, infant, adult intestinal toxemia, inhalational, iatrogenic
Medical condition (new).causes: Clostridium botulinum
Medical condition (new).risks: Improperly canned, preserved or fermented foods; injection drug use (e.g. black-tar heroin); honey consumption in infants <1 year; contaminated wounds; high-dose cosmetic/therapeutic botulinum-toxin injections
Medical condition (new).diagnosis: Finding the bacteria or their toxin
Medical condition (new).differential: Myasthenia gravis, Guillain–Barré syndrome, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lambert Eaton syndrome
Medical condition (new).prevention: Proper food preparation, no honey for children younger than one
Medical condition (new).treatment: Antitoxin, antibiotics, mechanical ventilation
Medical condition (new).prognosis: ~7.5% risk of death
Medical condition (new).frequency: Worldwide: c. 1 000 reported cases per year; United States: 273 cases in 2021
Medical condition (new).deaths: Global case-fatality rate 5–10 % (≈50–100 deaths annually)
Medical condition (new).name: Botulism
Medical condition (new).image: Botulism1and2.JPG

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

4,766 papers

Clinical Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Botulism, 2021.MMWR. Recommendations and reports : Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports · 2021Rao AK, Sobel J, Chatham-Stephens K et al.DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7002a1
Botulism.ReviewClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2005Sobel JDOI: 10.1086/444507
Botulism in fish: a review.ReviewJournal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc · 2024Uzal FA, Henderson E, Asin JDOI: 10.1177/10406387241236725
Botulism.ReviewPediatrics in review · 2016Carrillo-Marquez MADOI: 10.1542/pir.2015-0018
Human Botulism in France, 1875-2016.ReviewToxins · 2020Rasetti-Escargueil C, Lemichez E, Popoff MRDOI: 10.3390/toxins12050338
Botulism.ReviewSeminars in neurology · 1990Cherington MDOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1041249
[Infant botulism].ReviewHarefuah · 2014Falk A, Afriat A, Hubary Y et al.
Clostridial Diseases (Botulism and Tetanus).ReviewThe Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice · 2022Swink JM, Gilsenan WFDOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2022.05.004

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Clostridium botulinum.jpg

Show 7 more facts

NCI Thesaurus ID: C84599
Commons category: Botulism
ICPC 2 ID: D70
exact match: www.orpha.net/ORDO/Orphanet_1267
minimal incubation period in humans: 6
maximal incubation period in humans: 10
WordLift URL: data.medicalrecords.com/medicalrecords/healthwise/botulism_2

Sources (11)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

36 sections

Contents

Signs and symptoms
Infant botulism
Complications
Cause
Colonization of the gut
Food
Wound
Inhalation
Injection (iatrogenic botulism)
Lawsuits about botulism against pharmaceuticals
Mechanism
Diagnosis
Prevention
Vaccine
Treatment
Antitoxin
Prognosis
Epidemiology
United States
United Kingdom
China
Qapqal disease
Canada
Ukraine
Vietnam
Other susceptible species
Prevention in non-human species
Vaccines in animals
Use in biological warfare and terrorism
United States
Iraq
Japan
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Botulism can occur in several ways. The bacterial spores which cause it are common in both soil and water and are very resistant. They produce the botulinum toxin when exposed to low oxygen levels and certain temperatures. Foodborne botulism happens when food containing the toxin is eaten. Infant botulism instead happens when the bacterium develops in the intestines and releases the toxin. This typically only occurs in children less than one year old, as protective mechanisms against development of the bacterium develop after that age. Wound botulism is found most often among those who inject street drugs. In this situation, spores enter a wound, and in the absence of oxygen, release the toxin. The disease is not passed directly between people. Its diagnosis is confirmed by finding the toxin or bacteria in the person in question.