In this series, you will learn about poisonous substances and what their natural and/or synthetic antidotes do to reverse their toxic effects. The first poison in this series is the infamous Botulinum toxin. The Indian Journal of Dermatology explains that Botulinum toxin is a protein molecule made by the Gram-positive bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, found in soil, water, plants, and intestinal tracts of animals. The Center for Disease Control indicates that botulism affects about 145 people every year in the United States, with 65% of these cases occurring in infants. Botulism poisoning can be accidentally acquired by eating food contaminated with the toxin; improperly canned food and honey are especially known to have a higher risk of contamination. Infants are more at risk of contracting botulism—this is why it is not recommended to feed infants either honey or home canned food.
The CDC explains that Botulinum toxin works by preventing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from binding to receptors in nerve cells. This prevents signals for muscle contraction from getting through and induces paralysis of the muscle. People who are infected often experience muscular weakness, vomiting, and in severe cases, respiratory paralysis.
Image Source: Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon
The Food and Drug Administration has approved two antidotes to reverse the effects of botulism. The first is called trivalent botulinum antitoxin and is made from whole antibodies taken from a horse; this antitoxin is readily available in every city’s health department. The second, and less common, antidote is called the heptavalent botulism antitoxin, made from smaller portions of horse antibodies. This heptavalent antitoxin is effective against all seven strains of botulism, unlike the trivalent that is only effective against three. Both of these antitoxins work to neutralize toxicity by directly binding to the toxic protein molecules, therefore preventing the toxin from attaching to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
As you can see, botulism is no joke. Thankfully, when caught at an early stage, botulinum poisoning is no longer a death sentence as the symptoms that arise from it can be treated using life saving antitoxins! Hopefully you will never have to use either of these antitoxins, but maybe now, you’ll be able to explain to people the dangers that can arise from feeding honey to infants and not canning food properly.
