What is Botulism?

Botulism is a disease of humans and animals characterised by muscle paralysis, and is potentially fatal. It is caused by extremely potent neurotoxins produced by the environmental spore-forming bacterium Clostridium botulinum and rarely, by botulinum toxin-producing strains of some other Clostridium species.

There are five different types of botulism characterised by the mode of acquisition, namely: foodborne botulism, infant botulism, wound botulism, adult enteric botulism and inhalational botulism.