UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research

... diseases, like dengue fever, and potential bioterrorism agents, like the botulism toxin. It also seeks to train next-generation scientists and educate ... especially among children. Improved detection and treatment of the botulism toxin. Considered one of the most potent, it can contaminate food and ...

New 'chemical radar' among national security innovations in ACS podcast

... attacks with biological threats that the National Institutes of Health calls Category A agents. Those materials include biological agents such as botulism toxin and infectious agents such as anthrax and smallpox. Global Challenges recalls the introduction of radar, which gave 20th century society its ...

Researchers develop new ultrasensitive assay to detect most poisonous substance known

... is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. When ingested, the toxin disables nerve function and can result in paralysis and even death. botulism normally results when a person eats food tainted with C. botulinum bacteria or if a wound is infected by the bacterium. Infants, whose digestive ...

Scientists determine drug target for the most potent botulinum neurotoxin

... UPTON, NY Botulinum neurotoxin responsible for the deadly food poisoning disease botulism and for the beneficial effects of smoothing out facial wrinkles can also be used as a dreaded biological weapon. When ingested or inhaled, less than ...

Highly concentrated botulinum preparation for cosmetic injections can result in severe illness

... An examination of 4 cases of botulism following cosmetic injections to the face ... a report in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA. botulism is a rare paralytic illness caused by the toxins ... for cosmetic and therapeutic use, no cases of botulism with detectable serum toxin have previously been ...

Genome of Clostridium botulinum reveals the background to world's deadliest toxin

... animal hosts for prolonged periods of time. Occasionally it gets into a living animal, via contaminated food or open wounds, leading to infant botulism or wound botulism, both of which are serious human infections. The host can be quickly overpowered and, in some cases, killed by the toxin, and C. ...

Creation of antibiotic in test tube holds promise for better antibiotics

... are made by post-translational modification of proteins. Nisin works well against Gram-positive bacteria and food-borne pathogens that cause botulism and listeriosis because it punches holes into cell membranes and binds to essential molecules in the disease-causing bacteria. Hitting on at least ...

Report focuses on challenges to unlocking future promise of vaccines

... that are relatively rare today, but are poised to emerge by either natural or terrorism-related means, like avian influenza, West Nile virus, and botulism toxin. According to the report, research and development must continue the progress of the past to address those diseases that have eluded the ...

New NIAID grants strengthen national biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research network

... research that will lead to next-generation treatments, vaccines and diagnostic tools for diseases such as anthrax, plague, smallpox, tularemia, botulism and West Nile fever. University of California, Irvine, principal investigator Alan G. Barbour, M.D., will head a consortium whose members include ...

Antibodies from plants protect against anthrax

... answer," says Baillie. Anthrax antibodies are just the first step for Baillie and his collaborators. Plantibodies against the plague bacterium and botulism are also in development. ...