Botulinum neurotoxin is one of the deadliest biological toxins known to mankind and is able to cause the debilitating disease botulism. The rapid detection of the different serotypes of botulinum neurotoxin is essential for both diagnosis of botulism and identifying the presence of toxin in potential cases of terrorism and food contamination. The modes of action of botulinum neurotoxins are wel...

Botulinum neurotoxins are diverse proteins. They are currently represented by at least seven serotypes and more than 40 subtypes. New clostridial strains that produce novel neurotoxin variants are being identified with increasing frequency, which presents challenges when organizing the nomenclature surrounding these neurotoxins. Worldwide, researchers are faced with the possibility that toxins ...

BACKGROUND It is generally agreed that diffusion of botulinum toxin occurs, but the extent of the spread and its clinical importance are disputed. Many factors have been suggested to play a role but which have the most clinical relevance is a subject of much discussion. METHODS This review discusses the variables affecting diffusion, including protein composition and molecular size as well as...

The purpose of this review is to update cosmetic dermatologists and surgeons on the latest information about botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of the face and neck and to provide a practical guide to effective and safe technique. We review indications, recommended doses and dilutions, storage recommendations and injection techniques.

Botulinum neurotoxin injections are a valuable treatment modality for many therapeutic indications as well as in the aesthetic field for facial rejuvenation. As successful treatment requires repeated injections over a long period of time, secondary resistance to botulinum toxin preparations after repeated injections is an ongoing concern. We report five case studies in which neutralizing antibo...

Clostridium botulinum type A, B, and F toxins of different molecular sizes were fed to mice to compare the oral toxicities. The progenitor toxin, a complex of a toxic and nontoxic component, of any type was higher in oral toxicity to mice than the dissociated toxic component or the derivative toxin. The former may no doubt play a more important role in the pathogenesis of food-borne botulism. T...