Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming rod. Botulin toxin is one of the most powerful known toxins: about one microgram is lethal to humans. It acts by blocking nerve function and leads to respiratory and musculoskeletal paralysis.
In all cases illness is caused by the toxin made by ''C. botulinum,'' not by the bacterium itself. The pattern of damage occurs because the toxin affects nerves that are firing more often.
Specifically, the inhibition of the release of Acetylcholine from motor neurons, which synapse with the myofibers at the neuro muscular junction, results in a loss of muscle function, and paralysis.
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