Common Name: Bot Tox; Botulinum Toxin

Scientific Name: Clostridium botulinum

General Overview: The deadliest toxin known to man, botulinum toxin acts quickly and systematically, shutting down the body through progressive paralysis.  This paralysis effectively causes a respiratory failure and, ultimately, death.

Botulism emerges in three different forms: foodborne, infant & wound.  Foodborne botulism represents the greatest threat to the public sector because of the danger of the contaminated spreading before the source can be identified & quarantined.  The most frequent source of foodborne botulism in the U.S. comes from poor preparation & handling of home-canned foods.

One challenge identified by the CDC in Dec. '03 was "[the] prep-aration for a possible attack on the [U.S.] with botulinum toxin."