Introduction:
This research analysis places significant emphasis on the rare, but potentially life-threatening bacteria known as clostridium botulinum, which is a disease that is caused by the neurotoxin type A, B, E, or F type (Davis, 2012). The neurotoxin is produced by bacteria called clostridium botulinum which rapidly paralyzes muscles within the body. The toxin produces skeletal muscle paralysis by producing a presynaptic blockade to the release of acetylcholine (Cherington, 1998, p. 701). Because of its strong impact on the overall health of the body, this is considered a very serious disease with many substantial impacts and effects, the largest being death. The three major types of botulism are food-borne, wound, and infant botulism, all varying on how they are acquired (Davis, 2012). The neurotoxin botulism can be classified as an exceedingly rare, yet very serious, and potentially fatal paralytic illness that requires immediate medical attention. The disease was first discovered in 1735 when the disease was first associated with German sausage. In fact, the word "botulus" is Latin for the word sausage. Clostridium botulinum bacteria was first isolated in 1895, and a neurotoxin that it produces was isolated in 1944 by Dr. Edward Schantz (Davis, 2012). This research analysis will primarily focus on the aforementioned bacteria while closely placing the root causes and proven prevention techniques under close scrutiny to educate the public on its harmful effects and raise awareness on how precautions can be taken in an effort to diminish the prevalence of the disease.
Casual Agent:
The organism is known as clostridium botulinum, which serves as the bacteria that causes the neurotoxin, and is part of the bacte...
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...ng years, scientists hope to develop a vaccine so the number of cases vastly drop even more.
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A 55 year old patient was admitted to the inpatient unit from a hospice facility at 4:00 in the afternoon on April 1st, 2015. The patient has end stage pancreatic cancer with liver and bone metastasis. The unit nurse noted foul smelling loose stools upon the patient’s arrival. After 24 hours and three loose stools, a Clostridium toxin assay test was performed and the patient has tested positive for Clostridium difficile toxin (Elsevier, 2015). Today,
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As stated in Chan-Tack and Bartlett’s article Botulism, “The incidence of foodborne botulism is approximately 24 cases per year. The incidence of wound botulism is 3 cases per year. The incidence of infant botulism is 71 cases per year, with a mean age of 3 months.” (2010). In addition, in merely fifteen percent of the Clostridium botulinium outbreaks are the toxin type undetermined. The first case descriptions of botulism were reported by Dr. Justinus Kerner, a German physician, in 1822. He had conducted experiments on himself and laboratory animals, which gave him this case findings (Taillac, & Kim, 2010).
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Yersinia pestis, the culprit behind the infamous Black Death, spread by rat fleas, has cast a shadow over human civilization, taken the lives of countless peasants and nobles alike like a violent brute who murders invariably. There are three major forms of infection stages, the bubonic plague, the septicemic plague, and the pneumonic plague (primary and secondary), all are lethal if not treated with proper antibiotics. Due to similar symptoms, clinical diagnosis, the distinction between a common cold and a lethal infection is made difficult. However, though a potent murderer, Yersinia pestis can be easily eliminated by antibiotic treatment; survivors of the disease may be scarred.
Almost no one on Earth has any immunity at all to this virus, which makes ordinary vaccines useless against it. The sudden spread of the virus into Europe foreshadows an epidemic development that could be worldwide. Ultimately, there is no way to protect ourselves against epidemics. They will keep disappearing and coming back in new forms.
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Clostridium perfringens is a gram-positive spore-forming bacillus involved in foodborne illness and wound infection. It is an obligate anaerobe and the only member of the genus Clostridium that is non-motile. This microorganism is normally present in soil and decaying vegetation and is an inhabitant of animal and human intestines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. perfringens is one of the most common sources of foodborne illness in the United States, being the cause of an estimated 1 million cases each year. However, it is also prevalent worldwide. This bacterium has the shortest reported generation time of any organism at 6.3 minutes in thioglycollate medium, making it particularly virulent after initial inoculation.
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