Protection and Societal Security Division, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment Kjeller, Norway.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway.
Front Microbiol. 2014 Jun 11;5:287. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00287. eCollection 2014.
Clostridium botulinum comprises a diverse group of botulinum toxin-producing anaerobic rod-shaped spore-forming bacteria that are ubiquitously distributed in soils and aquatic sediments. Decomposition of plants, algae, and animals creates anaerobic environments that facilitate growth of C. botulinum, which may then enter into food webs leading to intoxication of animals. Via saprophytic utilization of nutrients, the bacteria rapidly sporulate, creating a reservoir of highly robust spores. In the present review, we focus on the occurrence of C. botulinum in non-clinical environments, and examine factors influencing growth and environmental factors associated with botulism outbreaks. We also outline cases involving specific environments and their biota. In wetlands, it has been found that some C. botulinum strains can associate with toxin-unaffected organisms--including algae, plants, and invertebrates--in which the bacteria appear to germinate and stay in the vegetative form for longer periods of time. We suggest the need for future investigations to resolve issues related to the environments in which C. botulinum spores may accumulate and germinate, and where the vegetative forms may multiply.
肉毒梭菌由一组不同的产肉毒毒素的厌氧杆状孢子形成细菌组成，这些细菌广泛分布于土壤和水生沉积物中。植物、藻类和动物的分解会产生厌氧环境，有利于肉毒梭菌的生长，然后这些细菌可能进入食物链，导致动物中毒。通过腐生利用营养物质，细菌迅速形成孢子，形成一个高度强壮孢子的储备库。在本综述中，我们重点关注肉毒梭菌在非临床环境中的出现，并研究影响生长的因素和与肉毒中毒爆发相关的环境因素。我们还概述了涉及特定环境及其生物群的情况。在湿地中，已经发现一些肉毒梭菌菌株可以与不受毒素影响的生物体（包括藻类、植物和无脊椎动物）相关联，在这些生物体中，细菌似乎会发芽并保持营养体形式更长的时间。我们建议未来的研究需要解决与肉毒梭菌孢子可能积累和发芽的环境以及营养体可能繁殖的环境有关的问题。
