BACKGROUND Clostridium botulinum produces seven distinct serotypes of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs). The genes encoding different subtype neurotoxins of serotypes A, B, F and several dual neurotoxin-producing strains have been shown to reside on plasmids, suggesting that intra- and interspecies transfer of BoNT-encoding plasmids may occur. The objective of the present study was to determine whe...

To investigate the primary structural determinants affecting heat resistance of Clostridium sporogenes spores, electron micrographs of heat-sensitive (D121 degrees C = 0.56 min) and heat-resistant (D121 degrees C = 0.93 min) spores of C. sporogenes were taken with a transmission electron microscope. The mean thickness (+/- standard deviation [SD]) of coat layers and cortex regions of heat-sensi...

Clostridium botulinum strain Osaka05, which has been isolated from an infant patient with botulism in Japan, is the first strain producing botulinum neurotoxin subtype B6. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of C. botulinum Osaka05.

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are crucial for exocytosis, trafficking, and neurite outgrowth, where vesicular SNAREs are directed toward their partner target SNAREs: synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa and syntaxin. SNARE proteins are normally membrane bound, but can be cleaved and released by botulinum neurotoxins. We found that botulinum...

Botulism is a potentially fatal disease that is caused by the botulinum toxin, the most toxic naturally occurring substance [1]. The neurotoxin is formed by various strains of the anaerobic, Gram-positive and spore-forming genus Clostridium (C. botulinum, C. baratii and C. butyricum) [2]. The botulinum toxin is classified in eight serotypes A-H [2][3], of which the serotypes A, B, E and F (BoNT...

Clostridium botulinum, a Gram-positive, anaerobic spore-forming bacteria, is distinguished by its significant clinical applications as well as its potential to be used as bioterror agent. Growing cells secrete botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the most poisonous of all known poisons. While BoNT is the causative agent of deadly neuroparalytic botulism, it also serves as a remarkably effective treatme...

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are some of the most lethal human bacterial toxins and the causative agent of botulism (Arnon et al., 2001; Simpson, 2004). The usual routes of intoxication for BoNTs are oral ingestion of clostridial spores or pre-formed toxin, manifested as infant, foodborne and adult onset botulism. An increasingly common route of intoxication is associated with intravenous drug...

Since December 2014, and as of 10 February 2015, 23 cases of botulism have been reported in Norway (eight cases) and Scotland (15 cases), affecting people who inject drugs (PWID). All the reported cases used heroin, and it is assumed that the source of the infections is contaminated heroin. The batch or batches of the heroin suspected of being contaminated with the spores of Clostridium botulin...

On farms involved in botulism outbreaks, cycles of Clostridium botulinum have occurred. The cycles were initiated by feeding brewers' grains contaminated with proteolytic C. botulinum type B to the cows. Spreading of manure containing feces of these cows increased the contamination of the pastures. In grass silages prepared with wilted grass from these pastures the number of C. botulinum type B...

Boticin B is a heat-stable bacteriocin produced by Clostridium botulinum strain 213B that has inhibitory activity against various strains of C. botulinum and related clostridia. The gene encoding the bacteriocin was localized to a 3.0-kb HindIII fragment of an 18. 8-kb plasmid, cloned, and sequenced. DNA sequencing revealed the boticin B structural gene, btcB, to be an open reading frame encodi...