Do you think a monitoring program is
essential for Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, and if so, how would you implement it? (25)

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fantanLv2

7 Apr 2023

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Deanna HettingerLv2

13 Dec 2019

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Related questions

1.Does the duration of the latent period change with different stimulus voltages? Explain

2.Injections of Botox (Botulinum toxin from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum) are used in some cosmetic and medical procedures (e.g., removing wrinkles).

(a) What is the mechanism of action of Botox? (1 pt)

(b) How do Botox injections eliminate wrinkles

rosemosquito548

The Case of the Paralyzed Gardener. Part 2.

Katie, Julia's girlfriend, was really scared now. In addition to having trouble opening her eyes and slurring her words, Julia could now hardly walk or sit up. Katie called an ambulance, and they rushed Julia to the hospital. Due to the sudden onset and the neurological nature of the signs and symptoms, the doctor tested Julia for a stroke.

Fortunately, the results came back negative. Since Julia could not speak, the doctor began asking Katie questions about her partner's health, habits, and lifestyle. Eventually, it came up that Julia frequented farmers markets and had recently consumed some vegetables she canned at home. Upon hearing about the home canning, the doctor immediately suspected botulism. Clostridium botulinum bacteria are common in soil, so they can easily contaminate vegetables, and improper canning is a known risk factor for exposure. Although the doctor knew that the collected blood and stool samples may contain the bacterium and/or the botulinum toxin, the results would take several days to obtain, and Julia didn't have days to wait. Based on mounting suspicion, the doctor ordered an electromyography study, which confirmed that Julia's muscles and nerves were not working properly. Because botulism is a nationally reportable disease, the physician immediately contacted the local health department and, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coordinated delivery of the antitoxin that was needed to save Julia's life.

Several days later, the lab confirmed that botulinum toxin was found in Julia's blood samples and, C. botulinum was grown from stool samples. It was a good thing the doctor had reacted so swiftly to obtain the antitoxin. Though the doctor had identified the cause of the illness, the source of the bacteria was still not confirmed. Was it food from the market? Her canned goods? Somewhere else? When placed in a stressful environment like soil, this bacterium sporulates, forming hardy structures called endospores that can survive for decades. The low oxygen and low acid environment that occurs in certain canned vegetables can allow the endospores to germinate, leading to toxin production.

Since Julia was new to canning, Katie suspected that it was the beans and corn. She mentioned this point to the doctor, who requested a can of each to send to the health department for confirmation. At the lab, the technicians did some basic staining and growth to see if there was bacterial contamination. Though the identification was not definitive, they were able to grow Gram-positive bacilli from Julia's canned food.

QUESTION 1: The process of canning vegetables involves high heat and, sometimes, low pH to kill contaminating microorganisms. How do you think these might prevent bacterial growth? Select all that apply. (NCLEX style)

A.Degrading sugars used as microbial food sources

B. Denaturing proteins

C. Altering quaternary structures

D. Destroying cell membranes

QUESTION 2: When an animal's gastrointestinal tract is colonized with C. botulinum, the causative agent of botulism, the bacteria secretes a neurotoxin, which moves into the bloodstream and down its concentration gradient without help from any external energy or proteins. Which of the following terms correctly describes this sort of molecular movement?

A.Osmosis

B. Facilitated diffusion

C. Active transport

D. Simple diffusion

A group of researchers at the university veterinary diagnostics laboratory isolated a new bacterium from the blood and stool of several horses that became ill and died at a local farm. Prior to death, symptoms included disorientation, loss of motor function, and flaccid paralysis, so the researchers suspected central nervous system involvement and possible production of neurotoxin. Based on 16S rRNA comparison, they found that the new bacterium was related to the gram-positive bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and they subsequently named it Clostridium equiniae. They also determined that the bacterium was sensitive to metronidazole but resistant to -lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, or to macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin and azithromycin. However, although C. equiniae was resistant to azithromycin, the researchers found that when they treated infected mice with metronidazole in combination with azithromycin, the 50% lethal dose (LD50) value went from 10 for a control without antibiotic treatment to 104 for treatment with metronidazole alone to 107 for combined treatment with azithromycin, and the mice recovered from paralysis much sooner with the combined treatment than with metronidazole treatment alone. Interestingly, when they were plating out the bacteria to determine the LD50 values, the researchers observed that the colonies isolated from the control mice and mice treated with metronidazole alone were mucoid, but those from mice treated with both antibiotics were not.

A. What possible mechanism(s) could account for all of these observations (i.e., change in LD50 value, faster recovery from paralysis, and change in mucoid phenotype)? Be sure to provide your rationale.
B. Provide an experiment that could be performed to confirm your hypothesis.