Symptoms are similar for all toxin types, but the severity of illness can vary widely, in part depending on the amount of toxin absorbed. Recovery from paralysis can take from weeks to months and requires the growth of new motor nerve endings. In the event botulism is suspected, the hospital epidemiologist and local and state health departments should be contacted immediately. Natural cases of botulism are rare and typically result from food contamination. Many types of food have been associated in outbreaks in the past, with the common factor being that implicated food items were not heated or were incompletely heated.
C inactivates the toxin.
No cases of waterborne botulism have ever been reported. This is likely due to the large amount of toxin needed, and the fact that the toxin is easily neutralized by common water treatment techniques. Diagnosis and testing are available at the CDC and some local and state laboratories. The standard test for the toxin is the mouse bioassay. Unfortunately, this assay is time consuming.