Friday, January 26, 2018
Andrew Doxey and colleagues have discovered a new kind of botox.
A new source of the botulinum neurotoxin was discovered in a strain of animal gut bacteria, known as Enterococcus faecium. Over the past 20 years, there have been a growing number of therapeutic applications for botulinum toxin type A, known as botox, including treatment for migraines, leaky bladders, excessive sweating, and cardiac conditions.
“This is the first time that an active botulinum toxin has been identified outside of Clostridium botulinum and its relatives, which are often found in soil and untreated water,” said Doxey.
The study has been featured in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.