Academy of Finland granted funding 240 000€ for the research project ‘The Pathogenic Mechanisms of Clostridium botulinum type E ‘. The project leader is DVM, PhD, Professor Miia Lindström from the Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health. The main collaborators are Professor Yukako Fujinaga and Dr. Yo Sugawara from Osaka University, Japan.

Botulinum neurotoxin, the most potent natural poison, is produced by the spore-forming soil and food bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin causes life-threatening paralysis, botulism. Countries with type E toxin causing a serious public health risk via traditional fish products include Finland and Japan. Cases of intestinal botulism due to toxigenic growth in the gut of small babies are also reported. At the same time, types A and B neurotoxins are applied in therapeutics to treat spastic muscular disorders from torticollis to genitourinary disorders and migraine. Due to unfavourable immunity development, interest towards alternative toxin types is increasing. However, the structure and function of types E and F neurotoxins are poorly known. This project will characterize neurotoxin type E protein complex. This helps to prevent human botulism and develop novel therapeutic toxins. Multiple medical applications and thus highly beneficial impacts on public health are expected.