Botulinum toxin

Alternative Titles: botulin, botulinus toxin

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major reference

poisoning by a toxin, called botulinum toxin, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This poisoning results most frequently from the eating of improperly sterilized home-canned foods containing the toxin. Botulism also may result from wound infection. C. botulinum bacteria—which cannot survive in the presence of oxygen—normally live in the soil,...

cholinergic drugs

A plastic surgeon injecting a woman’s forehead with Botox.
Acetylcholine release by nerve impulses can be blocked by botulinum toxin, a very potent chemical that is produced in food contaminated by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum and is an occasional cause of severe food poisoning (botulism). The most serious effect is paralysis of the skeletal muscle. However, when botulinum toxin is locally injected, it can be used to treat severe muscle...

drug treatment

Prozac pills.
Botulinum toxin causes neuromuscular paralysis by blocking acetylcholine release. There are a few drugs that facilitate acetylcholine release, including tetraethylammonium and 4-aminopyridine. They work by blocking potassium-selective channels in the nerve membrane, thereby prolonging the electrical impulse in the nerve terminal and increasing the amount of acetylcholine released. This can...


A magnetic resonance image of a 30-year-old patient who suffered from dystonia (a type of movement disorder) and was treated with deep brain stimulation. The electrodes are clearly visible in the image at centre. The electrodes were linked to a neurostimulator implanted beneath a collarbone.
...also may be used, such as thalamotomy, a procedure that destroys a specific group of cells in the brain, or cutting the nerves that supply the dystonic area. Some dystonias can be treated with botulinum toxin (e.g., Botox™, Myobloc™, and NeuroBloc™). An injection of this potent blocker of nerve transmission produces a temporary chemical denervation of the muscles that may...
botulinum toxin
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