date:Mar 27, 2013
m.
Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and sometimes by strains of Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii. In the United States, an average of 145 cases are reported each year, and of these, approximately 15% are foodborne, 65% are infant botulism and 20% are wound. In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or a