Botulism Study Could Lead To New Vaccines And Treatments To Counter Bioterrorist Attacks

... Of all the weapons in the bioterrorist arsenal, none is as potent as botulinum neurotoxin, which causes botulism -- a potentially fatal disease with symptoms that include severe paralysis of the limbs and respiratory muscles. Of all the weapons in the bioterrorist arsenal, none is as potent as botulinum neurotoxin, which causes botulism -- a potentially fatal disease with symptoms that include severe paralysis of the limbs and respiratory muscles. Now, for the first time, scientists have figured out how this powerful neurotoxin disables individual nerve cells. ...