Current Methods for Detecting the Presence of Botulinum Neurotoxins in Food and Other Biological Samples

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cop-facbooks/1205/thumbnail.jp

Technologies for Detecting Botulinum Neurotoxins in Biological and Environmental Matrices

Biomonitoring of food and environmental matrices is critical for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases caused by toxins. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that toxins from bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants present an ongoing public health threat, especially since some of these toxins could compromise security of the food supply. Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), produced by Clostridium spp., are among those bacterial toxins that pose life-threatening danger to humans. BoNTs inhibit the release of acetylcholine at peripheral cholinergic nerve terminals and cause flaccid paralysis. BoNTs are grouped in seven serotypes and many subtypes within these groups. Rapid and accurate identification of these toxins in contaminated food as well as in environmental matrices can help direct treatment. Herein, we discuss current methods to detect BoNTs with a focus on how these technologies have been used to identify toxins in various food and environmental matrices. We also discuss the emergence of new serotypes and subtypes of BoNTs and the increasing number of cases of botulism in wildlife. Finally, we consider how environmental changes impact food safety for humans and present new challenges for detection technology

Expressions 1990

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/expressions/1012/thumbnail.jp

Validation and Potential Mechanisms of Red Cell Distribution Width as a Prognostic Marker in Heart Failure

Adverse outcomes have recently been linked to elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) in heart failure. Our study sought to validate the prognostic value of RDW in heart failure and to explore the potential mechanisms underlying this association

Sediment Flux and Storage in a Southeastern Piedmont River System

Proceedings of the 2001 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 26 and 27, 2001, Athens, Georgia.Total Maximum Daily Load sediment limits need to be assessed for Georgia. There is a need to create sediment budgets to prioritize sediment reduction efforts loadings for Non Point Source Pollution. Early analysis for Murder Creek reveal that there is a large source of sediment in floodplain storage. Volume analysis of exported sediment indicate that there has been large amounts of sediment mobilized after 1950. Dendro-geomorphology data reveal that there has been slight floodplain accretion over that time period. These factors suggest that constant erosion of stored sediments from past land uses may lead to elevated and continued levels of sediment in Georgia's waterways.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2202. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-397) or the other conference sponsors