Clostridium botulinum is a gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming, motile bacterium with the ability to produce the neurotoxin botulinum.
Causes and symptoms. Toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum is the main culprit in botulism. Other members of the clostridium genus can produce botulinum toxin, namely C. argentinense, C. butyricum, and C. baratii, but they are minor sources. A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned or preserved food and characterized by nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, and paralysis. Clostridium botulinum. Definitions: 1. a bacterial species that occurs widely in nature and is a frequent cause of food poisoning (botulism) from preserved meats, fruits, or vegetables that have not been properly sterilized before canning. Definition. Botulism is a rare but serious condition caused by toxins from bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. Three common forms of botulism are: 1  Foodborne botulism. 2  The harmful bacteria thrive and produce the toxin in environments with little oxygen, such as in canned food. 3  Wound botulism Medical Definition of BOTULISM. : acute food poisoning caused by botulinum toxin produced in food by a bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. botulinum) and characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, disturbances of vision, swallowing, and speech, and a high mortality rate—see botulinum toxin, limberneck.  Botulism is caused by botulinum toxin, a natural poison produced by certain bacteria in the Clostridium genus. Exposure to the botulinum toxin occurs mostly from eating contaminated food, or in infants, from certain clostridia growing in the intestine. A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned or preserved food and characterized by nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, and paralysis. C. botulinum is responsible for foodborne botulism (ingestion of preformed toxin), infant botulism (intestinal infection with toxin forming C. botulinum), and wound botulism (infection of a wound with C. botulinum). C. botulinum is a diverse group of bacteria initially grouped together by their ability to produce botulinum toxin and now known as four distinct groups, C. botulinum groups I-IV. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming, motile bacterium with the ability to produce the neurotoxin botulinum. C. botulinum is a diverse group of bacteria initially grouped together by their ability to produce botulinum toxin and now known as four distinct groups, C. botulinum groups I-IV. Medical Definition of BOTULINUM. : a spore-forming bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. botulinum) that secretes botulinum toxin. : a spore-forming bacterium (Clostridium Definition of BOTULINUM. : a spore-forming bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that secretes botulinum toxin. — bot·u·li·nal \-ˈlī-nəl\ adjective Clostridium botulinum: A group of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria commonly found in the soil that grow best in anaerobic (in the absence of oxygen) conditions. The bacteria form heat-resistant spores which allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. Clostridium botulinum and its spores are widely distributed in nature. They occur in both cultivated and forest soils, bottom sediments of streams, lakes, and coastal waters, and in the intestinal tracts of fish and mammals, and in the gills and viscera of crabs and other shellfish.
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define clostridium botulinum