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botulism
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Last Updated: • Article History
Category: Science & Tech
Related Topics:
foodborne illness
botulinum toxin
acetylcholine
notifiable disease
Clostridium botulinum
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botulism, paralytic syndrome caused by poisoning by botulinum toxin, a substance produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Botulism results most frequently from the eating of improperly sterilized home-canned foods containing the toxin. Poisoning also may result from wound infection. C. botulinum bacteria—which cannot survive in the presence of oxygen—normally live in the soil, where they form heat-resistant spores that may contaminate fresh food to be canned. The spores survive if the food is not cooked at 120 °C (248 °F) for a sufficient length of time; this temperature can be achieved with certainty only in commercial canning plants or in a ...(100 of 618 words)

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