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 sporeforming bacteria that produces botulinum
neurotoxin (BoNT), one of the most potent toxins known. C. botulinum may produce BoNT under
certain conditions if present in improperly processed food products and, if ingested, could lead to
foodborne botulism. 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 identify any contaminations and prevention of potential outbreaks. Recent
developments in methods used for the detection of BoNT in relation to food safety will be discussed
and compared.
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