HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sieradzan, K. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Sieradzan, K. A.

Wound Botulism

Consultant Neurologist, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, BS16 1LE, Tel. 0117 9186603; E-mail: KSieradzan{at}aol.com

EXTRACT

INTRODUCTION

Wound botulism used to be a rare form of a rare disease but recent outbreaks among injecting drug users in the USA and UK have changed this epidemiological pattern. Three years ago when I saw my first patient it was very unfamiliar territory. But once seen, never forgotten. When some months ago I was asked to see a patient in the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU), a known drug user, who had collapsed with respiratory failure, the history sounded unmistakable and I had little doubt what the diagnosis would be. This was the fourth case in an injecting drug user seen in our centre over the last three years.

BOTULISM

Botulism is caused by the spore-forming strict anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, found in soil and aquatic sediments. It produces the most potent neurotoxin known in nature. Botulinum toxin spreads systemically and binds irreversibly to the presynaptic portion of cholinergic synapses ...

[PDF of this article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Artin, P. Bjorkman, J. Cronqvist, P. Radstrom, and E. Holst First Case of Type E Wound Botulism Diagnosed Using Real-Time PCR J. Clin. Microbiol., November 1, 2007; 45(11): 3589 - 3594. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]