Sandbox WWC1

From Proteopedia

Revision as of 17:35, 24 April 2016 by Dana Emmert (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

Background

Botulinum Toxin (BTX) is produced by three species of obligate anaerobe bacterium, primarily Clostridium botulism, but Clostridium baratii and Clostridium butyricum also produce the protein [1] [2] [3]. Clostridium botulism is commonly found in soil, marine sediments, and the gut of grazing animals [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] . BTX is the protein responsible for causing botulism, a potentially fatal illness. Humans can be exposed to the neurotoxin through inhalation, ingestion, or surface wounds. There are seven forms of the protein, named A through G, that are structurally similar but create different immune responses [9]. The forms of BTX that most often cause botulism in humans are A, B, and E [10].

Structure

Function

Disease

Botulism is characterized by paralysis due to the interference of BTX with the release of acetylcholine at nerve synapses. The lethal doses for a human weighing 70 kg is 0.09-0.15 μg when administered intravenously or intramuscularly, 0.70 - 0.90 μg through inhalation, and 70 μg orally [11] [12]. Due to its powerful toxicity, the protein could be used as a biological weapon. The countries that have developed BTX to be used in warfare include Japan, Germany, United States, Russia, and Iraq [13].

Botulinum Toxin Neurotoxin Serotype A

Drag the structure with the mouse to rotate

Relevance

Structural Highlights

References

  1. Hall JD, McCroskey LM, Pincomb BJ, Hatheway CL. Isolation of an organism resembling Clostridium baratii which produces type F botulinal toxin from an infant with botulism. J Clin Microbiol. 1985;21:654-655. 36.
  2. Aureli P, Fenicia L, Pasolini B, Gianfranceschi M, McCroskey LM, Hatheway CL. Two cases of type E infant botulism caused by neurotoxigenic Clostridium butyricum in Italy. J Infect Dis. 1986;154: 207-211. 37.
  3. Arnon SS. Botulism as an intestinal toxemia. In: Blaser MJ, Smith PD, Ravdin JI, Greenberg HB, Guerrant RL, eds. Infections of the Gastrointestinal Tract. New York, NY: Raven Press; 1995:257-271.
  4. Ward BQ, Carroll BJ, Garrett ES, GB Reese. Survey of the U.S. Gulf Coast for the presence of Clostridium botulinum. Appl Microbiol. 1967;15:629–636. 26.
  5. Smith LDS. The occurrence of Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani in the soil of the United States. Health Lab Sci. 1978;15:74–80. 27.
  6. Sugiyama H. Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin. Microbiol Rev. 1980;44:419–448. 28. Dodds KL. Clostridium botulinum in the environment. In: Hauschild AHW
  7. Dodds KL, eds. Clostridium botulinum—Ecology and Control in Foods. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc; 1992: 21–51. 29.
  8. Popoff MR. Ecology of neurotoxigenic strains of clostridia. In: Montecucco C, ed. Current Topics in Microbiology: Clostridial Neurotoxins. The Molecular Pathogenesis of Tetanus and Botulism. Vol 195. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag; 1995: 1–29.
  9. Hatheway cL. Clostridium botulinum and other clostridia that produce botulinum neurotoxins. in: Hauschild aHW, Dodds kL, eds. Clostridium botulinum—Ecology and Control in Foods. new york, ny: marcel Dekker, inc; 1992: 3–10
  10. arnon SS, Schechter r, inglesby tV, et al. botulinum toxin as a biological weapon: medical and public health management. JAMA. 2001;285:1059–1070.
  11.  Franz DR, Pitt LM, Clayton MA, Hanes MA, Rose KJ. Efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic administration of antitoxin for inhalation botulism. In: DasGupta BR, ed. Botulinum and Tetanus Neurotoxins: Neurotransmission and Biomedical Aspects. New York, NY: Plenum Press; 1993:473-476.
  12.  Herrero BA, Ecklung AE, Streett CS, Ford DF, King JK. Experimental botulism in monkeys: a clinical pathological study. Exp Mol Pathol. 1967;6:84-95.
  13. Dembek, Z. F.; Smith, L. A.; Rusnak, J. Botulinum Toxin. In Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare; 2007.
Personal tools