Clostridium botulinum produces botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), highly potent substances responsible for botulism. Currently, mathematical models of C. botulinum growth and toxigenesis are largely aimed at risk assessment and do not include explicit genetic information beyond group level but integrate many component processes, such as signalling, membrane permeability and metabolic activity. In t...

Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin is synthesized by toxic clones grown anaerobically on ganglioside affinity filters. The toxin binds to the filters and is detected by reaction with 125I-immunoglobulin G from type-specific antitoxin. Toxin spots from culture filtrates were similarly identified. The C. botulinum type C and D strains were selected for developing this affinity filter assay because ...

Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins are used to treat a variety of neuro-muscular disorders, as well as in cosmetology. The increased demand requires efficient methods for the production and purification of these toxins. In this study, a new purification process was developed for purifying type B neurotoxin. The kinetics of C.botulinum strain growth and neurotoxin production were determined for m...

Palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis is relatively common and can have severe psychological and medical consequences for those afflicted. A multitude of treatments exist but are often inadequate especially for those with significant disease. In these cases botulinum neurotoxin provides a reliable method for reducing the symptoms and improving quality of life. Although actual administration is relat...

BACKGROUND Norwegian meadows, including those for silage production, are recently found heavily invaded by the slug Arion vulgaris in exposed areas. As a consequence, large numbers of slugs might contaminate grass silage and cause a possible threat to animal feed quality and safety. It is well known that silage contaminated by mammalian or avian carcasses can lead to severe outbreaks of botulis...

The solution-phase complex assay for toxins A, B, and E from Clostridium botulinum (Elcatech, Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C.) was modified to measure antibody. The addition of unlabeled polyclonal antibodies to a mixture consisting of toxin with chicken antibody and RVV-XA-labeled horse antibody reduces the sensitivity of detection of neurotoxin. This reduction in sensitivity can be used as a measur...

The hemagglutinating protein HA33 from Clostridium botulinum is associated with the large botulinum neurotoxin secreted complexes and is critical in toxin protection, internalization, and possibly activation. We report the crystal structure of serotype A HA33 (HA33/A) at 1.5 A resolution that contains a unique domain organization and a carbohydrate recognition site. In addition, sequence alignm...

Botulinum neurotoxins consist of a metalloprotease linked via a conserved interchain disulfide bond to a heavy chain responsible for neurospecific binding and translocation of the enzymatic domain in the nerve terminal cytosol. The metalloprotease activity is enabled upon disulfide reduction and causes neuroparalysis by cleaving the SNARE proteins. Here, we show that the thioredoxin reductase-t...