Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum and some other relative species. It causes a lethal disease called botulism. It can enter the body via infections by Clostridium (e.g. wound and children botulism) or by direct contact with the toxin or eating contaminated food (food-borne botulism). Botulinum toxin is also considered as a relevant biological warfare agent with an expected high number of causalities when misused for bioterrorist or military purposes. The current paper surveys the actual knowledge about botulinum toxin pathogenesis, the manifestation of poisoning, and current trends in diagnostics and therapeutics. Relevant and recent literature is summarized in this paper.

肉毒杆菌毒素是由肉毒梭菌和一些其他相对物种产生的神经毒素。它会导致一种致命的疾病，称为肉毒中毒。它可以通过梭菌感染（例如伤口和儿童肉毒杆菌中毒）或直接接触毒素或食用受污染的食物（食源性肉毒中毒）进入人体。肉毒杆菌毒素被误用于生物恐怖或军事目的时，也被认为是一种相关的生物战剂，预计会造成大量的因果关系。本论文调查了有关肉毒杆菌毒素发病机理，中毒表现以及诊断和治疗的当前趋势的实际知识。本文总结了相关文献和最新文献。