Botulism Research Paper

Botulism is a dangerous neuroparalytic illness caused by a botulinum toxin that is a product of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This toxin invades neuromuscular junctions by blocking the release of acetylcholine and results in lack of muscle contraction. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “There are three main kinds of botulism: foodborne botulism, infant botulism, and wound botulism. Foodborne botulism occurs when a person ingests the toxin within food that leads to illness within a few hours to days, Infant botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor Clostridium botulinum in their intestinal tract, and Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with Clostridium botulinum that secretes the toxin.” (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention 1).
This horrible toxin can cause symptoms that can severely affect living a normal life. Symptoms of Botulism began within 6 hours to 10 days after consuming food with the toxin. These symptoms include impaired vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that moves down the body, usually affecting the shoulders first, then the upper arms, lower arms, thighs, calves, etc. Paralysis of breathing muscles can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless breathing assistance is provided (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1). The severity of Botulism ranges from little involvement of the cranial nerves to full paralysis requiring mechanical ventilation and reflects the amount of toxin in the bloodstream. In order to diagnose Botulism, careful examination and history are taken into consideration in order to conform the diagnosis. Confirmation involves detection of the toxin in the patient’s serum, gastric secretions or stool. (Schlossberg 2). This illness can certainly advance if there is no advanced medical