1 Fast, labored breathing: Fluid in the smallest airways (the alveoli) causes pneumonia, an infection due to a virus or bacteria. 2  Pneumonia causes fast, labored breathing, occasionally cyanosis, a persistent cough, and crackly sounds (rales) when listened to with a stethoscope.
Definition of BOTULINUM. : a spore-forming bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that secretes botulinum toxin.â botÂ·uÂ·liÂ·nal \-ËlÄ«-nÉl\ adjective. a spore-forming bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that secretes botulinum toxin.
Botulinum toxin: A toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that is the most poisonous biological substance known. Botulinum toxin acts as a neurotoxin.ery small amounts of botulinum toxin can cause botulism in one of two ways. One way is by ingesting the toxin itself (food borne botulism), as in canned foods. The other way is by infection with the bacterial spores that produce and release the toxin in the body (infectious botulism).