Ummm…he..hello everyone, my…my name is Clostridium botulinum. Please pardon my nervousness and stammer introduction. I just got out from the soil, I’m usually very shy. Many of you may or may not know me; I’m a rod-shaped gram positive bacterium, with peptidoglycan as my cell wall structure and produce endospore. Because I lived in the soil where there isn’t much of oxygen present, I undergo obligate anaerobic respiration. Under favorable condition, I can fully metabolize amino acids and chitin, and partially metabolize some polysaccharides. I’m not gregarious as most of you, but shy and usually hide myself in the soil.
However, I do go on holidays sometimes; after I pass through the security check either on mouth or skin wound (these security checks are jokes to me), I can then do whatever I want, crazy and wild. Oh, you wouldn’t want to see me partying, you can’t imagine how wild I can be. Normally I bring three of my close friends to the party, foodborne botulism, infant botulism and would botulism. Earlier this year, two boys both 3 months and 5 months was contracted botulinum disease that paralyzing their nerves. One received £50,000 medication and survived, while the other one is left fighting for his life.
As I get high from metabolizing nutrients, I rapidly propagate, and secrete botulinum toxin. Such exotoxin plays major role in virulence factor that will allow me to inhibit the biochemical pathways in the host. Nowadays, “global warming” made my life miserable; people tend to cook their food thoroughly on high heat for longer time, they made my spores “disabled” to produce toxins. Others use high-pressure thermal treatments on me, can’t believe they use such a horrible way to greet me.
If you dare, I can introduce my brothers and sisters to you. One of my sisters, Clostridium perfringens normally hosts the food poisoning and gas gangrene soiree. She may not have a pretty face, but she is extremely good at getting everyone crazy at the party. By the way, if you ever come across people with Bacillus name, they are the cousins of mine, may you politely say hi for me? People usually say we’re look alike, endospore producing rods, but this is nonsense. What do you think?
Citation:
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Clostridium_botulinum_Neurotoxins#Metabolism
http://www.who.int/csr/delibepidemics/clostridiumbotulism.pdf
