Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

mSphere 2020 Jul 1;5(4). Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Spores, the infectious agents of many , are remarkably resilient cell forms. Even distant relatives can have similar spore architectures although some display unique features; they all incorporate protective proteinaceous envelopes. We previously found that spores can achieve these protective properties through extensive disulfide cross-linking of self-assembled arrays of cysteine-rich proteins. Read More

Vet Rec 2020 Jun 25. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Epidemiology, Health and Welfare Unit, ANSES, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, Ploufragan, France.

Background: Persistence of in the environment is well known. Getting rid of it after animal botulism outbreaks is so tricky, especially as far as manure concerns. This study aimed at 1. Read More

J Phys Chem B 2020 Jul 1. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Botulinum Research Center, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747, United States.

Development of antidotes against botulism requires understanding of the enzymatically active conformations of Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) light chain (LCA). We performed small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to characterize the solution structures of truncated light chain (tLCA). The 34-37 Å radius of gyration of tLCA was 1. Read More

Food Microbiol 2020 Oct 18;91:103512. Epub 2020 Apr 18.

Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.

Clostridium botulinum is a significant food safety concern due to its ability to produce highly potent neurotoxin and resistant endospores. Vegetarian sausages have become a popular source of plant protein and alternative for meat products. While vegetarian sausages have not been linked to botulism, numerous outbreaks due to preserved vegetables suggest a frequent occurrence of C. Read More

Food Microbiol 2020 Oct 18;91:103544. Epub 2020 May 18.

Chilled Food Associates, C/o 3 Weekley Wood Close, Kettering, NN14 1UQ, UK.

The safety of current UK industry practice (including shelf-life) for chilled, vacuum/modified atmosphere-packed fresh red meat (beef, lamb and pork) held at 3°C-8°C has been evaluated with respect to non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. UK industry typically applies a retail pack shelf-life at 3°C-8°C to 13 days for fresh red meat, with a maximum of 23 days for beef, 27 days for lamb, and 18 days for pork. An exposure assessment established that current commercial practice for fresh red meat provided strong protection with more than 10 person servings marketed in the UK without association with foodborne botulism. Read More

ACS Sens 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, Illinois 60501, United States.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are potent toxins produced by bacteria that are responsible for the illness botulism and are listed as bioterrorism agents. BoNT serotype E (BoNT/E) is one of four BoNT serotypes that cause human botulism and is the second most frequent cause of foodborne botulism. Rapid detection and discrimination of BoNT serotypes implicated in human disease are critical for ensuring timely treatment of patients and identifying sources of toxins, but there have been few reported detection methods for BoNT/E and even fewer methods usable for BoNT serotyping. Read More

Int J Ther Massage Bodywork 2020 May 29;13(2):33-44. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Allied Health and Human Performance, MacEwan University, St. Albert, AB, Canada.

Background: Dystonia is a neurological disorder, characterized by involuntary muscle spasms and tremors, resulting in abnormal movements and posture. Symptoms include pain, spasms, tremors, and dyskinesia-a difficulty in performing voluntary muscular movements. Conventional treatments include medication, botulism injections, and surgical intervention. Read More

Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi 2020 Jun;58(6):499-502

Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.

To summarize the clinical characteristics and laboratory diagnostic methods of infant botulism caused by type B. Clinical data of 3 infants with type B botulism who were admitted to Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from May to November 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Botulinum toxin was detected in fecal samples or fecal enrichment solution of the patients, and was cultured and isolated from fecal samples. Read More

IDCases 2020 25;21:e00839. Epub 2020 May 25.

Infectious Diseases Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Portugal.

Botulism is an acute toxin-mediated neuroparalytic syndrome caused by some species. It typically presents itself as an acute symmetric descending paralysis of cranial and peripheral nerves, which can potentially evolve to respiratory failure and death. We report a case of botulism diagnosed in a patient presenting with a parotitis probably due to xerostomia, even though he had already sought medical assistance for blurred vision and dysphagia. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2020 Jul 15;20(1):117-120. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

'Carol Davila' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania.

Botulinum toxin is a substance produced by Clostridium Botulinum and is responsible for human botulism. This substance is a poison, a neurotoxin, but used in limited quantities it can be a cure for some diseases. It is well connected to a large variety of medical applications. Read More

Hawaii J Health Soc Welf 2020 May;79(5 Suppl 1):101-103

Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI.

Infant botulism is a progressive process described as starting with descending weakness, facial palsies and constipation. Loss of bulbar reflexes and flaccid paralysis are common in infants less than 6 months old who have infant botulism. , the bacteria that produce the toxin that causes this condition, are ubiquitous in the United States including Hawai'i, but infant botulism is rarely reported here. Read More

Singapore Med J 2020 Mar;61(3):165-166

Paediatric Infectious Disease, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.

Toxins (Basel) 2020 May 21;12(5). Epub 2020 May 21.

Bacterial Toxins, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.

Botulism is a rare but severe disease which is characterized by paralysis and inhibition of secretions. Only a few cases had been reported at the end of the 19th century in France. The disease was frequent during the second world war, and then the incidence decreased progressively. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2020 May 8;12(5). Epub 2020 May 8.

Gut Health and Food Safety, Quadram Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UK.

The neurotoxin formed by Group II is a major cause of foodborne botulism, a deadly intoxication. This study aims to understand the genetic diversity and spread of Group II strains and their neurotoxin genes. A comparative genomic study has been conducted with 208 highly diverse Group II strains (180 newly sequenced strains isolated from 16 countries over 80 years, 28 sequences from Genbank). Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2020 May 7;12(5). Epub 2020 May 7.

Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is the most potent natural toxin known. Of the seven BoNT serotypes (A to G), types A, B, E, and F cause human botulism. Treatment of human botulism requires the development of effective toxin-neutralizing antibodies without side effects such as serum sickness and anaphylaxis. Read More

Mil Med 2020 May 6. Epub 2020 May 6.

Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.

Introduction: Smallpox, caused by variola virus, was eradicated in 1980, but remains a category A bioterrorism agent. A decade ago, smallpox ranked second after anthrax in a multifactorial risk priority scoring analysis of category A bioterrorism agents. However, advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology, including published methods for synthesizing an Orthopoxvirus, require the assumptions of this scoring for smallpox and other category A agents to be reviewed. Read More

Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol 2020 ;69(1):42-47

Bioterrorist threats and attacks are still an issue of concern in the world. Biological agents are divided into three categories. The highest priority agents classified in category A pose a massive risk to public health and national security. Read More

An Acad Bras Cienc 2020 22;92(1):e20180370. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Laboratório de Infectologia Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão do Jeremoabo, s/n, 40170-155 Salvador, BA, Brazil.

In 2008, 270 wild birds from aquatic environments were found dead or debilitated on the banks of smaller lakes that had been formed due to the decrease in the level of the holding lake of the Sobradinho Dam located on the São Francisco River in the Caatinga of Bahia, Brazil. The outbreak occurred months after the dam's partial drainage, with the formation of puddles that accumulated decomposing organic material. Amongst the 270 individuals examined and/or found dead, the majority (50%) of the birds found belonged to the Anatidae family. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2020 ;2132:191-200

Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), produced by Clostridium botulinum, is the most potent toxin and produced as a complex with non-toxic components. Food-borne botulism is caused by the ingestion of these BoNT complexes. Hemagglutinin (HA), one of the non-toxic components, is known to have lectin (carbohydrate binding) activity and E-cadherin-binding activity. Read More

Microbiol Immunol 2020 Apr 17. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Department of Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is the causative agent of botulism in humans and animals. Only BoNT serotype A subtype 1 (BoNT/A1) is used clinically because of its high potency and long duration of action. BoNT/A1 and BoNT/A subtype 2 (BoNT/A2) have a high degree of amino acid sequence similarity in the light chain (LC) (96%), whereas their N-and C-terminal heavy chain (H and H ) differ by 13%. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2020 Apr 13;35(14):e93. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Ajou University Hospital, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.

Botulism is a rare neuromuscular disorder caused by neurotoxins produced by . The diagnosis of infant botulism may be obscured or delayed, as its presentation is similar to that of infantile neuromuscular disorders. We report the first Korean case of infant botulism in an acute progressive floppy infant with poor sucking and a weak cry. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2020 Apr 11. Epub 2020 Apr 11.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are a growing family of bacterial protein toxins that cause botulism, a rare but often fatal animal and human disease. They are the most potent toxins known owing to their molecular architecture, which underlies their mechanism of action. BoNTs target peripheral nerve terminals by a unique mode of binding and enter into their cytosol where they cleave SNARE proteins, thus inhibiting the neurotransmitter release. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2020 Apr 10. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Allergan plc, Irvine, CA, USA.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), produced by Clostridia and other bacteria, are the most potent toxins known. Their cleavage of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor activating protein receptor (SNARE) proteins in neurons prevents the release of neurotransmitters, thus resulting in the muscle paralysis that is characteristic of botulism. This mechanism of action has been exploited for a variety of therapeutic and cosmetic applications of BoNTs. Read More

Anaerobe 2020 Jun 2;63:102201. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Instituto de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Pará, BR 316 Km 61, Saudade II, Cristo Redentor, Castanhal, 68740-910, PA, Brazil. Electronic address:

Botulism is a neuroparalytic intoxication, usually fatal, caused by the botulinum toxins (BoNTs). Vaccination is the best-known strategy to prevent this disease in ruminants. Serotypes C and D and their variants CD and DC are the main types responsible for botulism in bovine and buffaloes in Brazil and cattle in Japan and Europe. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2020 Jun 24;95:157-159. Epub 2020 Mar 24.

Surgical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Botulism is a form of paralysis caused by a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is well known that natural honey contains Clostridium botulinum spores; controversy arises when a honey-related product is being used for wound care, where the possibility occurs of applying these spores to an open wound. To our knowledge, no reported cases of medical-grade honey have been associated with wound botulism. Read More

Cureus 2020 Feb 13;12(2):e6983. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Internal Medicine, Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital, Banepa, NPL.

Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS) typically presents as symmetrical ascending flaccid muscle weakness with areflexia, and with or without sensory symptoms. However, some patients may present atypically, and accordingly, different variants of GBS have been reported in the literature. Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant is one of the rare variants and is characterized by muscle weakness extending from the oropharyngeal and neck area to the proximal upper extremities. Read More

Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed 2020 Mar 16. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Paediatric ED, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast, UK.

Case summaryA 10-year-old boy presented with severe progressive generalised weakness on a background of 3 days of diarrhoea and vomiting. Vital signs were normal. Peripheral neurological examination revealed grade 1-2 power in all limbs, hypotonia and hyporeflexia. Read More

Science 2020 03;367(6483):1203-1204

Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

Front Microbiol 2020 19;11:239. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Division of Microbiology, Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States.

is a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that produces botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Closing their genomes provides information about their neurotoxin clusters' arrangement(s) and their location (e.g. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Jun 13;719:137307. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada; Axe Santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec City, Québec G1S 4L8, Canada.

Food insecurity affects Inuit communities. One solution is to consume locally harvested foods, named country foods. However, some country foods are not eaten as often as before, and pressures including contaminants and environmental changes threaten the health of Arctic fauna, thus its suitability for local consumption. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2020 27;7(2):001387. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira, Guimarães, Portugal.

A 55-year-old Caucasian male presented initially to the emergency room (ER) reporting myalgia, chills and fever. Physical examination and laboratory tests were unremarkable and he was discharged with symptomatic care. He returned to our ER 2 weeks later reporting dizziness, loss of balance, blurred vision, mild dysarthria and bilateral hand paraesthesia. Read More

Vaccine 2020 Mar 26;38(14):2978-2983. Epub 2020 Feb 26.

Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing 100071, China. Electronic address:

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly toxic proteins that mediate their effects by binding to neuronal receptors and block the neutralizing ability of therapeutic antibodies. Vaccination is currently the most effective strategy to prevent botulism. In this study, a series of recombinant functional domain antigens of BoNT/A were prepared and identified, and their immunoprotective efficacies were explored and compared. Read More

Mini Rev Med Chem 2020 ;20(10):865-874

Faculty of Military Health Sciences, University of Defense, Trebesska 1575, Hradec Kralove CZ-50001, Czech Republic.

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum and some other relative species. It causes a lethal disease called botulism. It can enter the body via infections by Clostridium (e. Read More

Toxicon 2020 Apr 11;178:20-32. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Bacterial Toxins, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. Electronic address:

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly potent toxins responsible for a severe disease, called botulism. They are also efficient therapeutic tools with an increasing number of indications ranging from neuromuscular dysfunction to hypersecretion syndrome, pain release, depression as well as cosmetic application. BoNTs are known to mainly target the motor-neurons terminals and to induce flaccid paralysis. Read More

Am J Nurs 2020 03;120(3):23

Elizabeth Scruth is director of Tele Critical Care, Clinical Quality Programs and Data Analytics, Northern California Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara, CA. Max Schoenlein is a student at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA. Both are members of the Cochrane Nursing Care Field.

Editor's note: The mission of Cochrane Nursing is to provide an international evidence base for nurses involved in delivering, leading, or researching nursing care. Cochrane Corner provides summaries of recent systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library. For more information, see https://nursing. Read More

Cureus 2020 Feb 8;12(2):e6922. Epub 2020 Feb 8.

Biochemistry, Xavier University School of Medicine, Oranjestad, ABW.

Floppy infant syndrome, also sometimes referred to as rag-doll syndrome, is characterized by hypotonia that could present as either peripheral hypotonia or central. Depending on the origin of hypotonia, the infant will present with different symptoms that ultimately have the characteristic feature of hypotonia. The clinical examination is crucial in diagnosing floppy infant syndrome in the neonate period, but the most critical factor is investigating and diagnosing the underlying cause of hypotonia. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2020 Feb 18;14(1):31. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Department of Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Room 5138, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.

Background: Miller Fisher syndrome is a variant of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy classically characterized by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and areflexia. Miller Fisher syndrome can present with uncommon symptoms such as bulbar, facial, and somatic muscle palsies and micturition disturbance.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 76-year-old white man with new-onset ataxia, stridor, areflexia, and upper and lower extremity weakness who required intubation at presentation. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Mar 15;32(2):287-290. Epub 2020 Feb 15.

Department of Zoonosis, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing, China (Shao, Qin, Zhang).

is an important pathogen that causes botulism in humans and animals worldwide. group III strains, which produce a single toxin of type C or D or a chimeric toxin of type C/D or D/C, are responsible for botulism in a wide range of animal species including cattle and birds. We used unbiased high-throughput RNA sequencing (i. Read More

Rev Med Interne 2020 Feb 12. Epub 2020 Feb 12.

Service de médecine interne, université Paris Descartes, AP-HP Centre-université de Paris, hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, 20, rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris. Electronic address:

Introduction: Botulism is a rare syndrome resulting from the action of a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, that it is potentially life threatening if diagnosis is delayed.

Case Report: We report a 26-year-old woman who presented an acute onset of bilateral cranial neuropathies associated with an anticholinergic syndrome in the absence fever leading to consider and confirm the diagnosis of botulism. At the end of follow-up, 7 weeks later, the outcome was favorable with an almost complete neurologic recovery. Read More

Curr Treat Options Neurol 2020 Feb 13;22(3). Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Department of Neurology, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W Harrison St, Suite 1121, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.

Opinion Statement: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we discuss current treatment options for commonly encountered neuromuscular disorders in intensive care units. We will discuss epidemiology, pathophysiology, and acute and chronic treatment options for myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, West Nile virus, Botulism, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Recent Findings: Eculizumab is the newest immunomodulator therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration in treatment of myasthenia gravis, shown to improve long-term functional outcomes. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Feb 11;13(2). Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Department of Otolaryngology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, UK.

A 44-year-old man with a background of heroin injection drug use was referred to the ear, nose and throat team with a sore throat and dysphagia. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics and steroids for suspected uvulitis. He developed progressive bulbar weakness and symmetrical descending weakness of the upper extremities over a 12-hour period and was intubated prior to transfer to the intensive care unit. Read More

Vaccine 2020 Mar 6;38(11):2519-2526. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Núcleo de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 96160-000, Brazil. Electronic address:

Botulism is a paralytic disease caused by the intoxication of neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. Among the seven immunologically distinct serotypes of neurotoxins (BoNTs A - G), serotypes C and D, or a chimeric fusion termed C/D or D/C, are responsible for animal botulism. The most effective way to prevent botulism in cattle is through vaccination; however, the commercially available vaccines produced by detoxification of native neurotoxins are time-consuming and hazardous. Read More

Toxicon 2020 Mar 4;176:67-76. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Office of the Chief Scientist, USAMRIID, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.

Botulism is an acute neuroparalytic affliction of the motor and autonomic neurons caused by the toxins produced from Clostridium botulinum and related bacterial strains. The botulinum neurotoxins, or BoNTs, consist of a phylogenetically diverse group of highly potent protein toxins. Current medical interventions for confirmed cases of botulism are limited to immediate administration of antitoxins and respiratory support. Read More

JCI Insight 2020 01 30;5(2). Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are potent neuroparalytic toxins that cause mortality through respiratory paralysis. The approved medical countermeasure for BoNT poisoning is infusion of antitoxin immunoglobulins. However, antitoxins have poor therapeutic efficacy in symptomatic patients; thus, there is an urgent need for treatments that reduce the need for artificial ventilation. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2020 Jan 24;12(2). Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Botulism Reference Service for Canada, Microbiology Research Division, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada.

Intoxication with botulinum neurotoxin can occur through various routes. Foodborne botulism results after consumption of food in which botulinum neurotoxin-producing clostridia (i.e. Read More

J Pediatr Intensive Care 2020 Mar 28;9(1):12-15. Epub 2019 Aug 28.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

Botulism in children can have severe complications necessitating intensive care. The current literature lacks data of children with botulism requiring critical care. We aim to describe the outcomes of pediatric botulism in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2020 01 10;12(1). Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Unit of Hygiene and Quality of Poultry and Pork Products, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), BP 53, 22440 Ploufragan, France.

Avian botulism is a serious neuroparalytic disease mainly caused by a type C/D botulinum neurotoxin produced by group III, one of the entwined bacterial species from the genospecies. Its isolation is very challenging due to the absence of selective media and the instability of the phage carrying the gene encoding for the neurotoxin. The present study describes the development of an original method for isolating C. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 12 30;12(1). Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Institut Pasteur, Département de Microbiologie, Unité des Toxines Bactériennes, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.

Botulism is a rare but severe neurological disease in man and animals that is caused by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by and atypical strains from other and non- species. BoNTs are divided into more than seven toxinotypes based on neutralization with specific corresponding antisera, and each toxinotype is subdivided into subtypes according to amino acid sequence variations. Animal species show variable sensitivity to the different BoNT toxinotypes. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 12 20;12(1). Epub 2019 Dec 20.

Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California San Francisco, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.

Background: Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) comprise seven agreed-on serotypes, A through G. In 2014, a novel chimeric neurotoxin produced by clostridial strain IBCA10-7060 was reported as BoNT/H, with subsequent names of BoNT/FA or BoNT/HA based on sequence homology of the N-terminus to BoNT/F, the C-terminus to BoNT/A and neutralization studies. The purpose of this study was to define the immunologic identity of the novel BoNT. Read More