HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Brett, M. M. Articles by Mpamugo, O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Brett, M. M. Articles by Mpamugo, O. Agricola Articles by Brett, M. M. Articles by Mpamugo, O.

Wound botulism in the UK and Ireland

Health Protection Agency Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK

Correspondence Obioma Mpamugo obioma.mpamugo{at}hpa.org.uk

Received July 9, 2003
Accepted February 11, 2004

There are three main, naturally occurring, epidemiological types of botulism: food-borne, intestinal colonization (infant botulism) and wound botulism. The neurological signs and symptoms are the same for all three epidemiological types and may include respiratory paralysis. Wound botulism is caused by growth of cells and release of toxin in vivo, is associated with traumatic wounds and abscesses and has been reported in drug users, such as those injecting heroin or sniffing cocaine. Up to the end of 1999 there were no confirmed cases of wound botulism in the UK. Between the beginning of 2000 and the end of December 2002, there were 33 clinically diagnosed cases of wound botulism in the UK and Ireland. All cases had injected heroin into muscle or by ‘skin popping'. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests in 20 of these cases. Eighteen cases were caused by type A toxin and two by type B toxin.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Wenham and A. Cohen Botulism CEACCP, February 1, 2008; 8(1): 21 - 25. [Full Text] [PDF]

				T N Wenham Botulism: a rare complication of injecting drug use Emerg. Med. J., January 1, 2008; 25(1): 55 - 56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Artin, P. Bjorkman, J. Cronqvist, P. Radstrom, and E. Holst First Case of Type E Wound Botulism Diagnosed Using Real-Time PCR J. Clin. Microbiol., November 1, 2007; 45(11): 3589 - 3594. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Sebaihia, M. W. Peck, N. P. Minton, N. R. Thomson, M. T.G. Holden, W. J. Mitchell, A. T. Carter, S. D. Bentley, D. R. Mason, L. Crossman, et al. Genome sequence of a proteolytic (Group I) Clostridium botulinum strain Hall A and comparative analysis of the clostridial genomes Genome Res., July 1, 2007; 17(7): 1082 - 1092. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. McLauchlin, K.A. Grant, and C.L. Little Food-borne botulism in the United Kingdom J. Public Health Med., December 1, 2006; 28(4): 337 - 342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A J Wills, D S N A Pengiran Tengah, and G K T Holmes The neurology of enteric disease J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, July 1, 2006; 77(7): 805 - 810. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. RELLER, R. W. DOUCE, S. E. MASLANKA, D. S. TORRES, S. R. MANOCK, and J. SOBEL WOUND BOTULISM ACQUIRED IN THE AMAZONIAN RAIN FOREST OF ECUADOR Am J Trop Med Hyg, April 1, 2006; 74(4): 628 - 631. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Akbulut, K. A. Grant, and J. McLauchlin Improvement in Laboratory Diagnosis of Wound Botulism and Tetanus among Injecting Illicit-Drug Users by Use of Real-Time PCR Assays for Neurotoxin Gene Fragments J. Clin. Microbiol., September 1, 2005; 43(9): 4342 - 4348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]