An uncommon disorder of the nervous system usually caused by infected canned foods. Spores C. Botulinum yields a toxin which produces symptoms: disturbance of vision, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and temporary paralysis of the breathing muscles. As the disease develops quickly and affects the central nervous system, modern hospital diagnosis and treatment are essential. However, matching antibacterials include: Echinacea, Myrrh, Wild Indigo, Goldenseal, Wild Yam. Add: Valerian for the CNS.
Alternatives. Tablets/capsules. Goldenseal, Echinacea, Valerian.
Tinctures. Formula. Echinacea 2; Goldenseal half; Wild Indigo half. Mix. 1-2 teaspoons in water every 2 hours.
Tincture Myrrh Co 1 part Tincture Capsicum BPC (1973) to 4 parts Tincture Myrrh BPC (1973). Dose: One-2.5ml.
Diet. 3-day fruit and vegetable juice fast.
Treatment by or in liaison with a general medical practitioner.
A rare but serious form of poisoning caused by eating improperly canned or preserved food contaminated with a toxin produced by the bacterium CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM. The toxin causes progressive muscular paralysis as well as other disturbances of the central and peripheral nervous system. CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM produces spores that resist boiling, salting, smoking, and some forms of pickling. These spores, which multiply only in the absence of air, thrive in canned or improperly preserved food. Ingestion of even minute amounts of toxin can lead to severe poisoning. Symptoms first occur within 8–36 hours and include difficulty in swallowing and speaking, vomiting, and double vision. Prompt treatment is vital. In infants, the toxin can form within the body after the ingestion of foods contaminated with the bacterium, such as honey. (See also food poisoning.)
A rare type of food poisoning with a mortality greater than 50 per cent, caused by the presence of the exotoxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum, usually in contaminated tinned or bottled food. Symptoms develop a few hours after ingestion.
The toxin has two components, one having haemagglutinin activity and the other neurotoxic activity which produces most of the symptoms. It has a lethal dose of as little as 1 mg/kg and is highly selective for cholinergic nerves. Thus the symptoms are those of autonomic parasympathetic blockade (dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, mydriasis, blurred vision) and progress to blockade of somatic cholinergic transmission (muscle weakness). Death results from respiratory muscle paralysis. Treatment consists of supportive measures and 4 aminopyridine and 3, 4 di-aminopyridine, which may antagonise the e?ect of the toxin.
n. a rare and potentially life-threatening form of *food poisoning due to ingestion of foods contaminated with toxins produced by the bacterium *Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin selectively targets motor nerve fibres of the central nervous system, causing flaccid paralysis. As the disease progresses, involvement of the muscles of respiration leads to respiratory failure and death. The bacterium thrives in improperly preserved foods, typically canned raw meats. The toxins are unstable to heat and are invariably destroyed during cooking.
The genus, or variety, of micro-organisms that produce spores which enable them to survive under adverse conditions. They normally grow in soil, water and decomposing plant and animal matter, where they play an important part in the process of PUTREFACTION. Among the important members of the group, or genus, are Clostridium welchii, Cl. septicum and Cl. oedematiens, the causes of gas gangrene (see GANGRENE); Cl. tetani, the cause of TETANUS; and Cl. botulinum, the cause of BOTULISM.... clostridium
A powerful poison produced by a bacterial cell and secreted into its surrounding environment. Exotoxins are often damaging to only few tissues and they are usually inactivated by chemicals, heat and light. Bacteria causing BOTULISM, DIPHTHERIA and TETANUS all produce exotoxins. (See ENDOTOXIN.)... exotoxin
The use of living organisms – or infectious agents derived from them – to disable or kill men, animals or plants in the pursuit of war. Such warfare, along with chemical warfare, was condemned in 1925 by the Geneva Convention, and the United Nations has endorsed this policy. Even so, some countries have experimented with possible biological agents, including those causing ANTHRAX and BOTULISM, with the intention of delivering them by land, sea or water-based missiles. These developments have prompted other countries to search for ways of annulling the lethal consequences of biological warfare.... biological warfare
A condition in which the head is twisted to one side. It may be caused by the contraction of a scar, such as that resulting from a burn or by paralysis of some of the muscles; as a result of injury at birth; or trauma to the area later in life. Treatment is by an orthopaedic collar, heat or ULTRASOUND, or PHYSIOTHERAPY. Sometimes a local injection of BOTULISM toxin will produce temporary relief. Rarely, surgery is necessary. (See also MUSCLES, DISORDERS OF – Cramp; SPASMODIC TORTICOLLIS.)... wry-neck
A potentially lethal toxin produced by the bacterium CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM (see botulism). In tiny doses, botulinum toxin is used as a drug to control muscle spasms in some disorders (see blepharospasm; facial spasm). It is also sometimes injected into facial muscles to reduce visible wrinkles temporarily.... botulinum toxin
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