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January 13, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Botulism Babies on Front Lines"

USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (01/13/03) P. 1D; Sternberg, Steve

Scientists report that the nation's supply of the best antidote for the toxin that causes botulism is being threatened.  The antidote--developed by Stephen Arnon, a California health department physician, and colleagues--is created from antibodies taken from the blood of human volunteers who have been vaccinated against the toxin.  Botulinum toxin is the worst neurotoxin on earth, and it is known to damage nerves that make it possible for people to eat and breathe.  The antidote is the only known safe treatment for infants who develop botulinum poisoning; however, the California antitoxin program faces elimination as Gov. Gray Davis makes budget cuts to counter a record deficit.  The news comes as the United States continues its military build-up in the Middle East for a possible invasion of Iraq, a nation that produced 19,000 liters of toxin in the 1990s and prepared 10,000 of them for use in bombs and spray devices.  Most botulism patients who do not receive intensive care die from the infection.

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