Existing and Emerging Detection Methods for Botulinum Toxin

Join the Department of Food Science and Nutrition for this seminar series event featuring guest speaker Catherine Rolfe, a staff fellow biologist at the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Clostridium botulinum is a pathogenic spore-forming bacteria that produces botulinum
neurotoxin (BoNT), one of the most potent toxins. C. botulinum may produce BoNT under
certain conditions if present in improperly processed food products and, if ingested, could lead to
foodborne botulism. The incidence of botulism is low, but a high mortality rate may be associated with the
disease if appropriate treatment is not provided. Rapid detection of BoNT at low concentrations in
food products is critical to identifying any contaminations and preventing of potential outbreaks. Recent
developments in methods used to detect BoNT in relation to food safety will be discussed
and compared.