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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Food-borne botulism
When you eat food containing the toxin, it disrupts nerve function, causing paralysis. The source of food-borne botulism is often home-canned foods that are low in acid, such as green beans, corn and beets. A common source of the illness in Alaska is home-canned seafood. However, the disease has also occurred from chili peppers, oil infused with garlic and baked potatoes.
Wound botulism
When Clostridium botulinum bacteria get into a wound, they can multiply and produce toxin. Wound botulism has increased in recent decades in people who inject heroin, which can contain spores of the bacteria.
Infant botulism
Babies get infant botulism after consuming spores of the bacteria, which then grow and multiply in the intestine and make toxins. The source of infant botulism is often honey, corn syrup or exposure to soil contaminated with the bacteria.
Benefits of botulinum toxin?
The paralyzing effect of botulinum toxin makes it useful as a medication when prescribed by your doctor. Botox, which contains a tiny amount of botulinum toxin, reduces facial wrinkles by preventing contraction of muscles beneath the skin. Other uses for Botox include treating eyelid spasms and severe underarm sweating.
