Clostridium botulinum

Botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening bacterial illness. C. botulism is a anaerobic gram positive endospore and Botulism toxin forming bacrteria. All strains of C. botulinum grow and produce toxin down to pH 5.2 (when other conditions are optimal). C. botulinum spores are found worldwide distributed in soils, dust and sediments, but at very low concentrations. Exposure to C. Botulinum resulting in the number of cases of adverse health effects resulting from food contammination like Risk Profile concerns Clostridium botulinum in honey conccider as Infant botulism. Is the most common form of botulism. Clostridium Botulinum bacteria grows on food and produces toxins that, when ingested, cause paralysis. Botulism poisoning is extremely rare, but so dangerous that each case is considered a public health emergency. Studies have shown that there is a 35 to 65 percent chance of death for patients who are not treated immediately and effectively with botulism antitoxin.

Organism Details:
Shape and Size
0.5-0.8 ¼m , Rod-Shaped.
Genome Information
Clostridium botulinum F str. Langeland chromosome (GI:153937894) has a circular DNA chromosome of 3995387 bp. The genome structure of Clostridium botulinum consists of 2,513 genes and 2,475 coding proteins, no any Pseudo Genes, rRNAs: 2 ( 5S, 16S, 23S ), tRNAs: 36. The GC content of Clostridium botulinum is about 28.0%.
Food Source
Low-acid canned foods, meats,sausage,fish,vegetables, condiments (e.g. pepper), fish, canning, fermentation, curing, smoking, or acid or oil preservation,vegetables,.products (type E), meat and meat products, garlic in oil and baked potatoes. Preserved food e.g. Canning, fermentation, curing, smoking, or acid or oil preservation.
Pathological Factor
Clostridium botulinum can produce the most potent biological neurotoxins which if ingested, result in botulism . There are eight recognised antigenically distinct toxins, designated as types A, B, C±, C², D,E, F and G.All are neurotoxins except C² which is an ADP-ribosylating enzymeEach of these subtypes produce a different botulin toxin, all of which, with the exception of C and D, are human pathogens. Botulinum neurotoxin form initially as single-chain polypeptidase with M.wt 150 kDa and relatively less toxic.Proteiolytic C.botulinum single chain form is usually cleaved by a clostridial proteases form a dichain in food and causes food-borne illness, infant, and wound botulism Proteolytic Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin causes food-borne illness, infant, and wound botulism.The botulinum toxins most active forms are as dichain molecules, where heavy chains are linked to light chains via disulphide bonding. Toxicity has appeared to be associated with the L chain, which blocks primarily on peripheral cholinergic synapses to prevent the calcium mediated release of acetylcholine, most likely interfering with the mechanism of exocytosis where vesicles containing neurotransmitters fuse with the cell membrane. The toxin prevents the propagation of action potentials to the muscle fibers, inducing paralysis by inhibiting muscle contraction.
Disease
Nuerotoxin act primarily at peripheral cholnergic synapses,where they block the release of the nuerotransmitter acetylcholine .The heavy chain of the toxin is involoved in binding and entery into the motor nueron and the light chain act as an endopeptidase enzymes ,degrading nueron protien involoved in release of acetycholine.Botulism symptoms can be caused by consumption of food contamination of about 10mg or 5ul of food has caused botulism. A main cause of death from this botulism involve death by asphyxiation, which is caused by the inability of the chest muscles to contract to facilitate breathing. Other effects of botulism, which affects both man and animals, include impaired vision and widespread muscular weakness. Although antitoxins do exist for this disease, by the time the symptoms of botulism show the toxin is irreversibly bound. Antitoxins may serve to neutralize the unbound toxin, but it is unable to reverse the binding of any toxins that are already exacting their effect.Also responsible causing diasease like Fatigue, Neurological disorders, Diarrhea disorders.
Affected Body Organs
paralysis of respiratory muscles
Classification
Domain Bacteria
Phylum Firmicutes
Class Clostridia
Order Clostridiales
Family Clostridiaceae
Genus Clostridium
Species C. botulinum