Botulinum toxin and botulism. A clinical case.

Abstract

Botulism is an acute infectious disease caused by a neutrotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and characterized by severe bulbar lesions. Botulism is characterized by the complexity of diagnosis and in adverse cases can lead to death. At the moment, in the complex therapy of botulism, the introduction of a mixture of antitoxic serums is mandatory. In addition to specific treatment, pathogenetic therapy is performed for all patients. Specific prophylaxis is carried out with polyanatoxin to a narrow group of people in contact with Clostridium botulinum or their toxins. However, neutralizing anti-botulinum antibodies may be detected in the blood serum of a number of individuals, which have a protective effect when encountering an infection. This article presents a clinical case of severe botulism in an adult patient with simultaneous absence of symptoms of the disease in family members.
Botulinum toxin preparations have long been used in aesthetic medicine. It is worth noting that the botulinum toxin molecule has a high molecular weight and can cause an immune response with repeated injections, especially in areas rich in lymph nodes. Forming specific antibodies belong to the IgG class and may have neutralizing properties. In the above clinical case, the patient’s wife, during repeated injections of botulinum toxin, most likely, the formation of neutralizing antibodies occurred, which, in turn, protected the woman from the disease.