Cause of botulism, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Symptoms appear 12 to 72 hours after ingestion or inhalation. Initial symptoms are nausea and diarrhea, followed by weakness, dizziness and respiratory paralysis, often leading to death. Antitoxin can sometimes arrest the process. Causes bubonic plague, the Black Death of the Middle Ages.
Untreated cases are nearly always fatal.
Vaccines can offer immunity, and antibiotics are usually effective if administered promptly. Highly contagious and lethal. May not be desirable as a biological agent because of uncertain stability outside of animal host. Symptoms, appearing two or three days after exposure, include high fever, delirium, severe joint pain, bleeding from body orifices, and convulsions, followed by death. No known treatment.