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In all cases, illness is caused by the botulinum toxin which the bacterium C. botulinum produces in anaerobic conditions and not by the bacterium itself. The pattern of damage occurs because the toxin affects nerves that fire (depolarize) at a higher frequency first. [12] Mechanisms of entry into the human body for botulinum toxin are described ...
Along with some strains of Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii, these bacteria all produce the toxin. [2] Botulinum toxin can cause botulism, a severe flaccid paralytic disease in humans and other animals, [3] and is the most potent toxin known to science, natural or synthetic, with a lethal dose of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg in humans. [4] [5]
Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species. [24] It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction , thus causing flaccid paralysis . [ 25 ]
Six of the people who received these fake Botox injections were treated for botulism, which is what happens when botulinum toxin gets into the bloodstream. This potentially deadly disease includes ...
Common examples of neurotoxins include lead, [7] ethanol (drinking alcohol), [8] glutamate, [9] nitric oxide, [10] botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox), [11] tetanus toxin, [12] and tetrodotoxin. [6] Some substances such as nitric oxide and glutamate are in fact essential for proper function of the body and only exert neurotoxic effects at excessive ...
The main species responsible for disease in humans are: [15] Clostridium botulinum can produce botulinum toxin in food or wounds and can cause botulism. This same toxin is known as Botox and is used in cosmetic surgery to paralyze facial muscles to reduce the signs of aging; it also has numerous other therapeutic uses.
The botulinum toxin as the most toxic substance known has an LD 50 value of 1 ng/kg, while the most non-toxic substance water has an LD 50 value of more than 90 g/kg; a difference of about 1 in 100 billion, or 11 orders of magnitude. As with all measured values that differ by many orders of magnitude, a logarithmic view is advisable.
The botulinum toxin, which is primarily produced by Clostridium botulinum and less frequently by other Clostridium species, is the most toxic substance known in the world. [1] However, microbial toxins also have important uses in medical science and research.