Scientific Publications
Genomics and evolution of Clostridium botulinum and neurotoxins
Toxicon, 93, S48
There are 7 (or possibly 8) botulinum neurotoxins (types A to H) and more than 30 different botulinum neurotoxin subtypes. The botulinum neurotoxins are responsible for botulism, a severe and often fatal neuroparalytic condition that affects both humans and animals. The botulinum neurotoxins are the most potent toxins known, with as little as 50 ng of neurotoxin being suffi cient to cause botulism in humans. Foodborne, infant, and wound botulism are the most commonly reported types of human botulism, and while foodborne botulism is an intoxication, infant and wound botulism are both infections. Botulinum neurotoxins are produced by strains of Clostridium botulinum and also by some strains of C. baratii and C. butyricum. C. botulinum is a heterogeneous species, de fi ned on the basis of a single physiologic property, the ability to form botulinum neurotoxin. C. botulinum can be separated into 4 distinct phylogenetic groups ( C. botulinum groups I to IV), with the distinction between each group strong enough to merit separation into 4 different bacterial species. Recent developments in genomics have provided a valuable understanding of the biology, variability, and evolution of C. botulinum and its neurotoxins.
Toxicon, 93, S48
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