Clostridium botulism

     Botulism is an infectious neurotoxin disease, paralytic and extremely severe, which begins by affecting the cranial nerves and subsequently the spinal (spinal cord nerves). The disease is caused by the bacillus (rod-shaped bacterium) Clostridium botulinum, which secrete a powerful neurotoxin protein origin. Clostridium botulism is the most powerful toxins known in medical practice.

Cases of clostridium botulism:

     Depending on the method of infection, the cases of clostridium botulism can be divided into four clinical categories:

• Botulism-food: the patient ingests food contaminated with botulinum toxin.
• Wound botulism: the toxin reach the body at the level of dirty wounds contaminated with the bacillus.
• Infant-botulism: appears by ingestion of the bacillus spores, which will germinate in the intestine.
• Unknown type of botulism: appears both in children and adults by ingestion of the pathogen agent.

Clostridium botulism generalities:

     Clostridium botulism is an anaerobic bacillus, gram-positive, able to form spores (bacillus form of resistance to a hostile environment), is spread everywhere in the soil and in the aquatic environment, being able to develop the most powerful known toxin until now.

     There are several types of bacteria toxin, denoted by letters A to G, depending on the type of toxin released. Spores are resistant to the external environment and can hardly be destroyed by cooking. Certain strains of Clostridium botulism can alter the foods they contaminate, because of proteolysis enzyme activity.

     The way of penetration of the infection is through the digestive one (through contaminated food) or through continuity solutions (wound). When there is no air, the spore germinates, and becomes an active bacillus and starts the intense production of neurotoxin. The neurotoxin pierced in circulation will be transported to the peripheral nerve endings, without affecting the central nervous system.

     Clostridium botulism binds to presynaptic nerve structures, penetrate the cell and disrupt the release mechanism of acetylcholine neurotransmitter. The nerve endings are damaged irreversibly; for healing is needed the formation of new nerve endings.

     To destroy the toxin, food must be cooked properly and extensively; the toxin is inactivated by exposure to a temperature about 100 degrees Celsius, for at least 10 minutes. The spores can be destroyed only by autoclaving (wet heat exposure, steam under pressure).

     The disease occurs all over the world, being especially associated with the consumption of household prepared food (vegetables and meat canned), and incorrectly sterilized; as an anaerobic bacterium, in the absence of air, in these closed cans, the spore will form the bacteria which will produce the neurotoxin.

     Being a food-transmitted infection, a special attention will be pay to how food is preserved, food which may be contaminated with spores; domestic conservation does not destroy spores, but destroy other bacteria that would normally prevent the development of Bacillus. It is also recommends that before eating, the food needs to be heated to a temperature sufficiently high to neutralize the toxin.

Symptoms:

     Incubation lasts from 2 hours to 14 days after ingestion of contaminated food. Onset is virulent and includes digestive disorders (constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, mild diarrhea), lethargic, weakness, dizziness, dryness in the mouth, difficulty swallowing and thirst. Other symptoms of the disease are headache, diplopia (double vision), inability to maintain open eyelids, blurred vision. In cases quite small, and only if treatment is not established, may appear paralysis of the muscle groups (limbs, neck, respiratory muscles).

Is there something good about Clostridium botulism?

     The paralyzing effect of the botulinum toxin is the basis of its use in the form of injection medication. It is the well known Botox, a drug that contains a very small amount of botulinum toxin and is used to alleviate facial wrinkles by preventing contraction of muscles on the face. Other uses of clostridium botulism toxin for medical purposes are the blefarospasmului (leap eyelid) treatment and excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).