Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a toxin that are made by a bacterium, Clostridium botulinum that may be found in soil
All forms of botulism are potentially fatal if not treated and are considered medical emergencies

Foodborne botulism is caused by ingestion of botulinum toxin, often from home-canned or improperly cooked foods

Other forms of botulism include wound botulism that results from contamination of a wound with botulinum-toxin producing bacteria, and infant botulism that results from growth in the infant's intestine of toxin-producing C. botulinum.

There are an average of 110 cases of botulism per year in the United States; 25% are foodborne, 72% are infant botulism, and the remainder are wound botulism
Botulism is not transmitted from one person to another. A patient with botulism does not pose a threat to others

Patients who have botulism usually have double vision (diplopia), drooping eyelids (ptosis), trouble swallowing (dysphagia), trouble speaking (dysphonia) and/or nasalized voice, followed by symmetric limb paralysis of voluntary muscles, including respiratory muscles.

The weakness and symptoms are usually descending (beginning with head and neck muscles progressing to the muscles of the lower body), bilateral and symmetrical. Progression of paralysis may be rapid (hours) or slow (several days)

Symptoms can vary from very mild weakness to very severe, with complete paralysis and respiratory arrest

Symptom usually start 18 to 36 hours after eating food contaminated with botulinum toxin, with a range of 6 hrs-10 days

The diagnosis of botulism is based on the signs and symptoms of the patient

Botulinum toxin can be rapidly identified in serum or stool or consumed food by a test performed in mice. Clostridium botulinum bacteria can also be grown from stool or blood from a patient or from foodstuffs that might have been ingested; this can take weeks.

Patients with botulism need to be cared for in a hospital intensive care unit or similar facility

Botulinum antitoxin, obtained from immunized horses, can be given to persons who have symptoms of botulism. The antitoxin will not prevent the illness, but if given early may cut down the length or severity of the illness

C. botulinum and botulinum toxin are destroyed by cooking foods so that the internal temperature is 100 degrees Centigrade (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes. The internal temperature of foods should be verified with a cooking thermometer. For water, this will be accomplished by vigorous rolling boil (large buble rapidly rising from the bottom of the pot) for ten minutes.

Botulism can be prevented by following strict hygienic procedures to reduce the contamination of foods, especially with home-canning. Honey and corn syrups should not be given to children less than one year of age, as these products may contain spores of C. botulinum. Prompt medical care should be obtained for infected wounds.

As more than one person may be affected by a case of foodborne botulism, it is essential that suspected cases be reported immediately to state health departments or the CDC. Suspected outbreaks of botulism may then be rapidly investigated and appropriate regulatory agencies may be contacted and get involved.

Botulinum toxin could be used as a biological agent either by contamination of food/ water or by aerosolization and inhalation.

It is believed that the symptoms of botulism from inhalation would resemble those of foodborne botulism.