A new type of botulinum toxin – the deadliest
substance known – has been discovered. Because it does not yet have an
antidote, the DNA sequence behind it has been withheld from public
databases. This is the first time a sequence has been kept secret over
security concerns.
Injecting a mere 2 billionths of a gram,
or inhaling 13 billionths of a gram, of the protein botulinum produced
by the soil bacterium Clostridium botulinum will kill an adult.
The toxin blocks the release of acetylcholine, the chemical secreted by
nerves that makes muscles work. People who accidentally ingest it, as
can happen when the bacteria grow in food, develop botulism and often
die of paralysis.
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