Botulism

Botulism is a rare, but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, botulin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinic toxin is one of the most powerful known toxins: about one microgram is lethal to humans. It acts by blocking nerve function and leads to respiratory and musculoskeletal paralysis.There are three main kinds of botulism: * Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum toxin.* Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin.* Wound botulism is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. This is the rarest type of botulism.All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies. Foodborne botulism can be especially dangerous as a public health problem because many people can be poisoned from a single contaminated food source.In the United States an average of 110 cases of botulism are reported each year. Of these, approximately 25% are foodborne, 72% are infant botulism, and 3% are wound botulism. Outbreaks of foodborne botulism involving two or more persons occur during most years and are usually caused by the consumption of home-canned foods. The number of cases of foodborne and infant botulism has changed little in recent years, but wound botulism has increased because of the use of black tar heroin, especially in California. In July 2007, a widespread recall was initiated due to botulism contamination of food manufactured by Castleberry's Food Company. Shortly after in August 2007, the FDA issued a warning of botulism risk from canned French cut green beans manufactured by Lakeside Foods Inc, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. (From the Wikpedia article Botulism.)

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Recent Publications on Botulism:
Botulism Questionnaire: a tactical tool for community use in a mass casualty incident. A botulism-induced mass casualty incident has the potential to severely...	17th November, 2009	Department of Public Health and Disease Prevention, College of Medicine,	Nurs Health Sci. 2009 Dec;11(4):374-7. DOI Direct Link
Type C botulinum toxin causes degeneration of motoneurons in vivo. All botulinum toxins (BoNTs, types A-G) inhibit synaptic transmitter...	13th November, 2009	aCenter for Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research, Burnham Institute	Neuroreport. 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
First infant botulism case due to Clostridium botulinum type E worldwide. Clostridium botulinum type E has been associated with botulism in adults,...	13th November, 2009	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.	J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Nov 11. DOI Direct Link
[Botulism in Poland in 2007] A total number of 49 foodborne botulism cases were registered in Poland in...	13th November, 2009	Zaklad Epidemiologii, Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego-Panstwowy	Przegl Epidemiol. 2009;63(2):237-40.
Potent new small-molecule inhibitor of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A endopeptidase developed by synthesis-based computer-aided molecular design. Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNTA) causes a life-threatening...	11th November, 2009	Computer-Aided Molecular Design Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester,	PLoS One. 2009 Nov 10;4(11):e7730. DOI Direct Link
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BioNews Results for Botulism:
Botulism baby is stable in hospital	The Courier:  Nov 6 2009 5:07AM Matching: botulism
Paralysing condition puts baby in hospital	The Courier:  Nov 5 2009 7:57AM Matching: botulism
Health Highlights: Oct. 20, 2009	National Womens Health Information Center:  Oct 20 2009 6:34PM Matching: botulism

Botulism Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
7527765	Consumer food testing device
7547662	Target recognizing binding agents
7551279	Systems and methods for detecting normal levels of bacteria in water using a multiple angle light scattering (MALS) instrument
7553446	Biological agent decontamination system and method
7553504	Feeds containing hop acids and uses thereof as supplements in animal feeds
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Companies working in the area of Botulism from Bioportfolio's Biocorporate database :
Company Name
Pharmaleads Pharmaleads is a research company focussed on the custom design of substrates and inhibitors of zinc metallopeptidases and proteases. Pharmaleads has already developed molecules for ECE,... www.pharmaleads.com        View full profile
Emergent BioSolutions Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to one simple mission—to protect life. We develop, manufacture and commercialize immunobiotics, consisting of vaccines and... www.antexbio.com/default.aspx        View full profile
BIOTECON Therapeutics BIOTECON Therapeutics is engaged in the development of pharmaceutical preparations based on the various serotypes of botulinum toxin. These toxins, produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum,... www.biotecon.com/        View full profile
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BioPortfolio Ltd. offers e-mail and postal lists for Botulism scientists - we have details of around 269 individuals working on Botulism .