University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Agripedia
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Botulism

Botulism, caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, is an often fatal form of food poisoning. If the food is exposed, the bacteria forms neurotoxins (toxins affecting the nervous system) in the food.

A person or animal with botulism will lose function of involuntary and voluntary muscles and organs, also called placid paralysis. Infected individuals often die from suffocation.

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