Clostridium botulinum Infection

Excerpt

The genus Clostridium is among the largest bacterial genera comprising of about 180 species. The more common clinically relevant Clostridium species are Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism; Clostridium perfringens, which causes food poisoning, gas gangrene, and necrotizing fasciitis; Clostridium tetani which cause tetanus and Clostridium sordellii which causes fatal infections after medical abortions. Here we will be reviewing the Clostridium botulinum organism, which is an anaerobic gram-positive spore-forming rod and is the most common cause implicated in reversible flaccid paralysis. Other clostridial bacteria can also produce the toxin leading to botulism. Despite its potential fatality and rarity, the illness can masquerade as other illnesses making the diagnosis difficult. Several studies show that the secretion of the submandibular gland (SMG) inhibited by botulinum toxin A (BTXA). Toxicity is detectable on the rat SMG-C6 cell line.