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Botulism occurs rarely, but it incites concern
because of its high fatality rate. Clinical descriptions of botulism
possibly reach as far back in history as ancient Rome and Greece.
However, the relationship between contaminated food and botulism
wasn't defined until the late 1700s. In 1793 the German physician,
Justinius Kerner, deduced that a substance in spoiled sausages,
which he called wurstgift (German for sausage poison), caused
botulism. The toxin's origin and identity remained elusive until
Emile von Ermengem, a Belgian professor, isolated Clostridium
botulinum in 1895 and identified it as the poison source.
Three types of botulism have been identified:
food-borne, wound, and infant botulism. The main difference between
types hinges on the route of exposure to the toxin. In the United
States, there are approximately 110 cases of botulism reported
annually. Food-borne botulism accounts for 25% of all botulism cases
and can be traced to eating contaminated home-preserved food. Infant
botulism accounts for 72% of all cases, but the recovery rate is
good (about 98%) with proper treatment.
Though domestic food poisoning is a problem world-wide,
there has been a growing concern regarding the use of botulism toxin
in biological warfare and terrorist acts. The Iraqi government
admitted in 1995 that it had loaded 11,200 liters of botulinum toxin
into SCUD missiles during the Gulf War. Luckily, these special
missiles were never used. As of 1999, there were 17 countries known
to be developing biological weapons, including the culture of
botulism toxins. |
