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 is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction and thus causes flaccid paralysis. Infection with the bacterium causes the disease botulism. The toxin is also used commercially in medicine, cosmetics and research. Botulinum is the most acutely lethal toxin known, with an estimated human median lethal dose of 1.3â2.1 ng/kg ...