Professional Resources

General

• Botulism (Clostridium botulinum)
• Technical Information

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Botulism: Information for Health Professionals
• Botulism: Specimen Collection and Laboratory Testing

Surveillance

• National Botulism Surveillance Overview [PDF - 3 pages]
• 2012 Nationally Notifiable Diseases and Conditions [PDF - 148 pages] and Current Case Definitions
  • Botulism case definitions (foodborne, infant, other [wound & unspecified] can be found on page 17-18 in 2012 Nationally Notifiable Diseases and Conditions and Current Case Definitions.
• National Botulism Surveillance
• Botulism Surveillance summaries reported to the Council of State and Territory Epidemiologists (CSTE): 2001-2010
  • 2010 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 8 pages]
  • 2009 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 8 pages]
  • 2008 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 10 pages]
  • 2007 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 11 pages]
  • 2006 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 8 pages]
  • 2005 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 9 pages]
  • 2004 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 9 pages]
  • 2003 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 9 pages]
  • 2002 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 9 pages]
  • 2001 CSTE Botulism Surveillance Summary [PDF - 9 pages]
• National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS)
• FOOD Tool (Foodborne Outbreak Online Database)  

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Epidemiologists, Clinicians, and Laboratory Workers

• Handbook for Epidemiologists, Clinicians, and Laboratory Workers (Botulism Manual) [PDF - 43 pages]

CDC Publications on Botulism

General Information on Botulism

• Arnon SS, Barzilay EJ. Clostridial infections: botulism and infant botulism. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Kimberlin DW, Long SS, editors. The Red Book: 2009 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. Elk Grove Village (IL): American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:259–62.
• Yu, PA, Maslanka SE, St Louis ME, SwerdlowDL. Botulism In: Abrutyn E, Brachman PS. editors. Bacterial Infections in Humans. New York: Springer; 2009:159-176.
• Sobel J. Botulism. Clin Infect Dis 2005;41:1167–1173.
• Simpson LL. Identification of the major steps in botulinum toxin action. Annu Rev PharmacolToxicol 2004;44:167–193.
• Angulo FJ, St. Louis ME. Botulism. In: Evans AS, Brachman PS, eds. Bacterial Infections of Humans. New York: Plenum; 1998:131-53.
• Shapiro RL, Hatheway C, Swerdlow DL. Botulism in the United States: a clinical and epidemiologic review. Ann Intern Med 1998;129:221-228.

Foodborne Botulism

• Date K, Fagan R, Crossland S, et al. Three outbreaks of foodborne botulism caused by unsafe home canning of vegetables—Ohio and Washington, 2008 and 2009. J Food Prot 2011;74(12):2090–2096.
• CDC. Notes from the field: Botulism caused by consumption of commercially produced potato soups stored improperly—Ohio and Georgia, 2011, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;60(26):890.
• Fagan RP, McLaughlin JB, Castrodale LJ, et al. Endemic foodborne botulism among Alaska Native persons—Alaska, 1947–2007. Clin Infect Dis2011;52(5):585–592.
• CDC. Botulism associated with commercially canned chili sauce—Texas and Indiana. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2007;56:1–3.
• CDC. Brief Report: Foodborne botulism from home-prepared fermented tofu—California. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2006;56(5):96–97.
• CDC. Botulism associated with commercial carrot juice—Georgia and Florida, September 2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2006;55:1–2.
• Sobel J, Tucker N, McLaughlin J, Maslanka S. Foodborne botulism in the United States, 1999--2000. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:1606–612.
• Angulo FJ, Getz J, Taylor JP, et al. A large outbreak of botulism: the hazardous baked potato. J Infect Dis 1998; 178: 172-177.
• CDC. Foodborne botulism—Oklahoma, 1994,MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1995;44(11);200–202.
• CDC. Epidemiologic notes and reports fish botulism—Hawaii, 1990. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1991;40(24);412–414
• St. Louis ME, Peck S, Bowering D, et al. Botulism from chopped garlic: delayed recognition of a major outbreak. Ann Intern Med 1988;108:363-368.

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Infant Botulism

• Vanella de Cuetos EE, Fernandez RA, Bianco MI, et al. Equine botulinum antitoxin for the treatment of infant botulism. Clin Vaccine Immunol.2011;18(11):1845–1849.
• Arnon SS, Barzilay EJ. Clostridial infections: botulism and infant botulism. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Kimberlin DW, Long SS, editors. The Red Book: 2009 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. Elk Grove Village (IL): American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:259–62.
• Koepke R, Sobel J, Arnon S. Global occurrence of infant botulism, 1976-2006. Pediatrics 2008;122:e72-e82.
• Arnon SS, Schechter R, Maslanka SE, Jewell NP, Hatheway CL. Human botulism immune globulin for the treatment of infant botulism. N Engl J Med 2006;354:462-471
• CDC. Infant botulism—New York City, 2001-2002. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003;52(2):21-24.

Wound Botulism

• Yuan J, Inami G, Mohle-Boetani J, Vugia DJ. Recurrent wound botulism among injection drug users in California. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(7):862—6
• CDC. Wound botulism among black tar heroin users—Washington, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003;52(37):885–886.
• CDC. Wound botulism—California, 1995, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1995;44(48)889–892.

Antitoxin and Emergency Response

• CDC. Investigational heptavalent botulinum antitoxin (HBAT) to replace licensed antitoxin AB and investigational botulinum antitoxin E, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;59(10):299
• Fagan RP, Neil KP, Sasich R, et al. Initial recovery and rebound of type F intestinal colonization botulism after administration of investigational heptavalent botulinum antitoxin. Clin Infect Dis 2011;53(9):e125-e128.
• Maslanka SE, Luquez C, Raphael BH et al. Utility of botulinum toxin ELISA A, B, E, F kits for clinical laboratory investigations of human botulism. Botulinum J.2011;2:72–92.

Botulism Toxin as a Threat Agent

• Sobel J. Botulism. In: Lutwick LI, Lutwick SM, eds. Beyond Anthrax: The Weaponization of Infectious Diseases. New York: Springer Science + Business Media; 2009:85–105.
• CDC. Notice to readers: New telephone number to report botulism cases and request antitoxin. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003;52(32):774.
• Arnon SS, Schechter R, Inglesby TV, et al. Botulinum toxin as a biological weapon: medical and public health management. JAMA 2001;285(8):1059–1070.
• Shapiro RL, Hatheway C, Becher J, Swerdlow DL. Botulism surveillance and emergency response: a public health strategy for a global challenge. JAMA 1997;278: 433-435.

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