Bacterial Disease
Botulism: One type of food poisoning.
Cause- Bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum is found naturally on plants,
hands and soil.
When introduced to improperly canned food (not cooked sufficiently), Clostridium
lives under anaerobic conditions on the food and releases an exotoxin (poisonous
protein toxin released by bacteria).
Look for bulging cans or bubbling in jars. Discard or return to store!
Cooking destroys the Clostridium but not the toxin!
Mild amounts of toxin cause stomach and intestinal discomfort (vomiting and
diahrrea) to clear system of toxin. High concentrations of toxin in food are
lethal.
One gram of botulism toxin is enough to kill ~1 million persons.
Slichter