Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
bottomland
bottomless
bottommost
bottomset bed
botty
botulin
botulinum
botulinum toxin
botulism
Bouaké
boubou
bouchée
bouclé
boudin
boudoir
bouffant
bougainvillaea
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "botulism" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

botulism

bot·u·lism [ bóchə lìzzəm ]


noun 
Definition:
 
type of food poisoning: a serious form of food poisoning caused by eating preserved food that has been contaminated with botulinum organisms. The toxin affects the central nervous system and causes progressive muscular paralysis.

[Late 19th century. < German Botulismus "sausage poisoning" < Latin botulus "sausage"]
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft