Detection of clostridium botulinum type A, B, E and F by means of real-time-PCR

Ciostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-performing bacterium with the ability to produce under certain conditions a protein with a characteristical neurotoxicity. Intoxications with C botulinum toxin belong to the rare occuring food-poisonings; the mortality, however, is very high. C botulinum produce seven different toxin types (type A to G), human intoxications are currently described to caused by toxin type A, B, E and F. C botulinum is a strictly anaerobic growing bacterium, so the risk for the consumer's health is mainly due to non-commercially produced food cans. A special form of botulism is the,,infant botulism. In contrast to the botulism of adults, where the disease is caused through toxin-containing food, spores of C botulinum can sporulate and produce toxin in the intestines of an infant. The source of infant botulism can be honey, because it contains as a natural product C botulinum spores. Because of the difficult and time-consuming cultural detection of C botulinum, PCR methods to screen for the toxin genes A, B, E and F, which are relevant in the human medicine, have been used increasingly during the last years. In this presentation two real-time-PCR assays for C. botulinum, which can be applied in the routine laboratory, will be shown.