General Information:

The disease "botulism" may be familiar as a hazard of eating improperly canned and undercooked foods. Botulism is caused by a toxin of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Botulism toxin is one of the most toxic substances known. It acts by inhibiting nerve impulses and produces progressive paralysis often leading to death if untreated. Specific symptoms are discussed below. Although botulism is normally acquired from food, it is expected that as an agent of biological warfare (BW) it would be dispersed as a toxic cloud to be inhaled by the persons under attack. Although it is possible that a terrorist might sabotage food or water with botulism toxin, a toxic cloud is a much more likely route of delivery in BW.

Disinfection of contaminated articles may be accomplished using a 0.05% hypochlorite solution (1 tbps. bleach per gallon of water).

The military chemical protective mask is effective against inhalation of all Biological Warfare Agents.

Symptoms:

There are 7 types of botulism toxin but all produce similar symptoms. Symptoms may begin about 24-36 hours after exposure, but there is evidence that symptoms may be delayed up to several days if the toxin is inhaled instead of ingested. Symptoms are characterized with a progressive paralysis from the head down with the individual remaining otherwise mentally alert and awake. The first symptoms of paralysis are drooping eyelids, dry mouth and throat, difficulty talking and swallowing, blurred and double vision. Muscle weakness progresses from the head down, eventually leading to a paralysis of the muscles used for breathing. If not treated, botulism is fatal in 60% of cases because of inability to breathe. Symptoms may progress to this point in as little as 24 hours from onset.

 Medical countermeasures:

Antitoxins for use after exposure to botulism are available from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, depending on which type of antitoxin is needed. The antitoxin is based on horse serum so potential recipients should be tested for sensitivity to horse serum before starting the vaccination series. Antibiotics are not effective in treating this intoxication.