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    Unintended consequences: Renaming botulinum neurotoxin-producing species of clostridium and related species
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    Abstract:
    Botulinum neurotoxin-producing species of Clostridium are highly diverse. Clostridium botulinum could represent at least four different species of Clostridium. In addition, strains that do not produce botulinum neurotoxin are closely related to toxigenic strains, probably representing the same species. Although reclassification of these organisms has been proposed in the past, their species names have remained unchanged, mainly because of the premise that changing names of medically relevant organisms might cause confusion in the healthcare and scientific community. In this review, we discuss the possible unintended consequences of reclassifying botulinum neurotoxin-producing species of Clostridium, which are of public health, medical, and biodefense interest.
    Keywords:
    Clostridium botulinum
    Neurotoxin
    Botulinum neurotoxin
    Botulism
    Confusion
    Biodefense
    Clostridiales
    Botulism is a severe and potentially lethal paralytic disease caused by several botulinum neurotoxin-producing Clostridia spp. In China, the majority of the cases caused by botulism were from less-developed rural areas. Here, we designed specific substrate peptides and reconfigured gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow test strip (LFTS) to develop an endopeptidase-based lateral flow assay for the diagnosis of botulism. We performed this lateral flow assay on botulinum neurotoxin-spiked human serum samples. The as-prepared LFTS had excellent performance in the detection of botulinum neurotoxin using only 1 μL of simulated serum, and its sensitivity and specificity were comparable to that of mouse lethality assay. Moreover, the assay takes only half a day and does not require highly trained laboratory staff, specialized facility, or equipment. Finally, our LFTS can be potentially extended to other serotypes of BoNTs by designing specific substrate peptides against the different types of BoNTs. Overall, we demonstrate a strategy by which LFTS and endopeptidase activity assays can be integrated to achieve facile and economic diagnosis of botulism in resource-limited settings.
    Botulism
    Botulinum neurotoxin
    Clostridium botulinum
    Endopeptidase
    Gold standard (test)
    Neurotoxin
    Citations (20)
    Clos.tri.di.a'ce.ae. N.L. neut. n. Clostridium type genus of the family; suff. -aceae ending to denote a family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Clostridiaceae the Clostridium family. Firmicutes / "Clostridia" / Clostridiales / Clostridiaceae
    Clostridiales
    Clostridia
    Type genus
    Clos.tri'di.a'les. N.L. neut. n. Clostridium type genus of the order; suff. ‐ ales ending denoting an order; N.L. fem. pl. n. Clostridiales the order Clostridium . Firmicutes / “Clostridia” / Clostridiales
    Clostridiales
    Clostridia
    Type genus
    The recent off-label use of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) for intragastric obesity treatment has led to 67 cases of systemic botulism in Türkiye, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This case report highlights the potential risks and adverse effects associated with this treatment.A 36-year-old female presented to the emergency room with shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty in eating and holding her head, constipation and double vision after receiving intragastric BoNT injection for obesity treatment. She had bilateral orbicularis oculi weakness, facial diplegia, weak tongue, masseter, neck and extremity muscles. Electromyography showed a presynaptic type neuromuscular junction disorder. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and administered botulinum heptavalent equine-derived antitoxin, but the medication had to be stopped due to a reaction. The patient was started on pyridostigmine for symptomatic treatment and was transferred to an inpatient clinic after minimal improvement. She was discharged after 7 days of follow-up.Clinicians should be cautious of the potential risks of intragastric BoNT injection for obesity treatment and consider systemic botulism as a potential adverse effect. Antitoxin treatment should be considered in clinically progressing patients despite negative botulinum toxin testing.
    Botulism
    Botulinum neurotoxin
    Neurotoxin
    Citations (4)
    Botulimum neurotoxin food poisoning (botulism) has probably afflicted humankind as long as humans have preseved and stored food. In tenth-century Byzantium, blood sausage manufacture may have been banned for this reason. Botulinum preparations were suggested to Indian maharajas as a means of assassinating enemies. Botulism outbreaks in Germany in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to warnings against harmful consumption of blood sausages.
    Botulism
    Botulinum neurotoxin
    Neurotoxin
    Food poisoning
    Clostridium botulinum
    Citations (0)
    Botulism is a potentially lethal paralytic disease caused by botulinum neurotoxin,correct and rapid diagnosis is essential for therapy.This paper reviewed the current advance of the laboratory diagnostics of botulism including detection of botulinum neurotoxin,culture methods,molecular detection and genetic characterization of Clostridium botulinum.
    Botulism
    Clostridium botulinum
    Botulinum neurotoxin
    Neurotoxin
    Citations (0)
    ABSTRACT Most infant botulism cases worldwide are due to botulinum toxin types A and B. Rarely, Clostridium botulinum strains that produce two serotypes (Ab, Ba, and Bf) have also been isolated from infant botulism cases. This is the first reported case of infant botulism due to C. botulinum type Af worldwide.
    Botulism
    Clostridium botulinum
    Clostridiales
    Citations (10)