Preparing for the Worst: Botulism - National Surveillance, Emergency Response, and Bioterrorism Preparedness

There are five major types of botulism: •Foodborne botulism from foods, most commonly homemade, that have been contaminated with botulinum toxin. •Wound botulism from spores entering wounds and making toxin. •Infant botulism when spores get into an infant's intestines, grow, and produce toxin. •Adult intestinal colonization when spores very rarely get into an adult's intestines, grow, and produce the toxin, similar to infant botulism. •Iatrogenic botulism when too much botulinum toxin is injected during medical or cosmetic procedures.