Clostridium botulinum
Botulism is a disorder caused by a toxic chemical produced by a bacterium
called Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium grows best in sealed containers
such as cans that have not been heated enough to kill the botulinium spores.
The bacterium grows best where there is little or no oxygen. It produces
a toxin that can cause paralysis, breathing failure, and even death. Patients
ingesting this toxin can develop double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred
speech, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing.
In addition to disease caused by direct infection, some foodborne diseases
are caused by the presence of a toxin in the food that was produced by
a microbe in the food. For example, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus
can grow in some foods and produce a toxin that causes intense vomiting.
The rare but deadly disease botulism occurs when the bacterium Clostridium
botulinum grows and produces a powerful paralytic toxin in foods. These
toxins can produce illness even if the microbes that produced them are
no longer there.
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