Botulinum Toxin: What It Is
Botulinum toxin is actually a poison, the most acutely toxic known to mankind. One microgram of botulinum toxin is lethal to humans. It can kill by causing respiratory and musculoskeletal paralysis. The toxin blocks the release of the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter that sends nerve impulses to muscles. The lack of acetylcholine inhibits these nerve impulses and leads to paralysis of the muscles.
Botulinus intoxication, the paralytic disease also known as botulism, is caused by botulinum toxin. The anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria called Clostridium botulinum produces it. Infant botulism or intestinal botulism, caused by the ingestion of Clostridium botulinum spores, is one of the kinds of botulism. Another kind, wound botulism, is caused when Clostridium botulinum infects a wound. Food-borne botulism is the third kind of botulism, caused by eating food that contains botulinum toxin.
Babies less than 12 months of age have less capacity to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that have been ingested. This is because their digestive juices are less acidic compared to those of adults and older children. The ingested spores then produce botulinum toxin in the intestines of the infant. The symptoms of infant botulism are generalized weakness, loss of head control and difficulty feeding following a bout of constipation.
4 to 14 days after a wound is infected by Clostridium botulinum, the symptoms of wound botulism, such as difficulty in swallowing, weakness of the muscles, drooping of the eyelids, difficulty in breathing, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, incontinence, diarrhoea, and dryness of the mouth begin to appear. The symptoms of food-borne botulism are the same but appear sooner, about 12 to 38 hours after eating food containing botulinum toxin.
Depending on the situation, one of the two primary types of botulinum antitoxin, trivalent botulinum antitoxin and heptavalent botulinum antitoxin, can be used to treat botulism. Coupled with artificial ventilation to combat the effects of respiratory paralysis caused by the botulinum toxin, the administration of antitoxin until the toxin is completely excreted or metabolised is effective if treatments are initiated on time.
Proper handling of food prevents contamination by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, its spores and the toxin they produce. Refrigeration, low pH levels, and high salt concentration prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin is readily destroyed by thorough cooking. The spores from which the toxin come from, however, are heat resistant and can survive even prolonged boiling at 100 degrees Celsius.
Botulinum toxin type A is commercially available for cosmetic treatment purposes under the brand names Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel. It is used to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the face. Certain neurological disorders and hyperhidrosis are also treated with botulinum toxin type A. Botox, Dysport, Myobloc, Neurobloc and Xeomin are the trade names under which it is marketed for that purpose. Botulinum toxin type A is one of the 7 serologically distinct types of botulinum toxin.
Recent developments indicate that botulinum toxin type A is effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic musculoskeletal pain as well as chronic headaches. There is also an indication that it can help promote weight loss by speeding up gastric emptying time.
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