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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
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 may be honey, but is more likely to be exposure to soil contaminated with the bacteria.
Food-borne botulism
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 fermented seafood. However, the disease has also occurred from chili peppers, baked potatoes and oil infused with garlic. When you eat food containing the toxin, it disrupts nerve function, causing paralysis.
Wound botulism
When C. botulinum bacteria get into a wound — possibly caused by an injury you might not notice — 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. Some people have also gotten botulism from inhaling the spores from cocaine.
Are there benefits to botulinum toxin?
You might wonder how something so toxic could ever be beneficial, but scientists have found that the paralyzing effect of botulinum toxin makes it useful in certain circumstances. Botulinum toxin (Botox, Myobloc) can be an effective medication when used in very small amounts.
Botulinum toxin has been used to reduce facial wrinkles by preventing contraction of muscles beneath the skin, and for medical conditions, such as eyelid spasms and severe underarm sweating. However, there have been rare occurrences of serious side effects, such as muscle paralysis extending beyond the treated area, with the use of botulinum toxin for medical reasons.
- Pegram PS, et al. Botulism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010.
- Botulism. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/botulism_gi.html. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Botulism. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec14/ch178/ch178c.html. Accessed Feb. 3, 2010.
- Sobel J. Botulism. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2005;41:1167.
- Abrutyn E. Botulism. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2867436. Accessed Feb. 3, 2010.
- Follow-up to the February 8, 2008, early communication about an ongoing safety review of Botox and Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum toxin Type A) and Myobloc (Botulinum toxin Type B). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm143819.htm. Accessed Feb. 5, 2010.
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