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Botulinum Toxin

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Encyclopedia of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

  • 77 Accesses

Synonyms

Botox; Dysport

Definition

Botulinum toxin is a powerful neurotoxin produced by the gram-positive anaerobic bacteria Clostridium botulinum. To date seven serotypes (ABC1DEF and G) produced by different strains of the bacterium are known. There are significant differences in the biologic action of each serotype and currently only serotypes A and B have clinical applications.

History and Overview

Over the past century Botulinum Toxin has evolved from a feared toxin to a popular remedy. Botulinum toxin first gained notoriety in 1895 when a group of musicians performing at a funeral in the Belgian village of Ellezelles were stricken by a lethal form of food poisoning. Dr. Emile van Ermengen, a Belgian professor of microbiology isolated the bacterium Bacillus botulinus by examining the food and performing autopsies on the deceased musicians. The bacterium was later renamed Clostridium botulinus (Ting and Freiman 2004; Erbguth 2008).

Fifty years after Dr. Ermengen’s discovery, Dr....

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Dr. James A. Owusu M.D.

  2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Dr. Kofi Derek O. Boahene M.D.

Authors
  1. Dr. James A. Owusu M.D.
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  2. Dr. Kofi Derek O. Boahene M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James A. Owusu M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

    Stilianos E. Kountakis

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Owusu, J.A., Boahene, K.D.O. (2013). Botulinum Toxin. In: Kountakis, S.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23499-6_220

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23499-6_220

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-23498-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-23499-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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