Botulism A Biologist's Perspective

Propaganda from the dark cellars of government is pushed through the media misinforming the public on biological weapons including botulism. To sway the public for increased police powers, a domestic terrorist threat is contrived, while military research on contagious diseases is concealed.

Botulism Toxin is Impossible to use.

Botulism will never be a terrorist or military weapon of any type. It is a toxin which is fragile, unstable and impossible to purify in significant quantities or apply to a purpose.

A Protein is not for the Air.

Botulism toxin is a protein, which is a chain of amino acids. It targets the nerve system disrupting neurotransmitter function resulting in paralysis and death. When proteins are concentrated, they coagulate becoming gummy like cheese. So botulism toxin would have to be kept very dilute in water. When proteins desiccate, they lose complex biological properties becoming like shoe leather. So botulism could not be used as an airborne toxin, not to mention the fact that proteins do not stay suspended in air like nerve gas.

Researchers are working on a freeze dried toxin in their attempts to stabilize it, but they have not achieved the result yet. So they know terrorists or rogue countries cannot do it. Of course, they intend to apply it to a purpose, in contradiction to my above statement. But consider this: They have the best jobs in science by a long ways. Other scientists are ditch diggers by comparison, having to apply for their own grants and manage graduate students and teach. So military researchers develop a lot of supposed biological weapons which never get applied to a purpose. But they don't want the bureaucrats to know what's going on.

Journalists claim that biological weapons such as botulism can be produced in a five gallon bucket in someone's back yard. There are biological reasons why their claims are absurd.

Botulism is Adapted for Lakes.

The natural function of botulism is to kill fish and birds in stagnant lakes. When dead creatures wash onto the shore, botulism bacteria break down the protein converting some of it into botulism toxin which washes into the lake killing more fish and birds.

When botulism bacteria (Clostridium botulinum) feeds on protein, it must break it down into short chains of amino acids for absorption as nutrients. Enzymes must be used to break down the protein. Bacteria cannot excrete enzymes from whole cells; the cells must break apart to release them.

So the net effect is that very short chains of amino acids and monomers are absorbed as nutrients, and then some are
reassembled into longer chains and released as toxin. What keeps the enzymes from destroying the toxin? Nothing does. The waves on the shoreline must wash the toxin into the lake before the enzymes destroy it.

Notice that there are no waves or shoreline in a five gallon bucket. You might think that modern technology could produce a substitute, such as a filter pad. It can't. Even separating a common protein from bacterial gunk would be difficult. With a protein destoying enzyme being produced at the same time, the toxin can't even accumulate without being destoyed.

Using Whole Cells is not Realistic.

Therefore, propagandists sometimes pretend that whole cells might be used for botulism weaponry. First, whole cells aren't anything like a toxin. The quantities change from nanograms to kilograms. How are a large quantity of cells going to be gotten into anyone? Airborne spores? The toxin is not in the spores. Slop in drinking water? Pumping a truckload of slop into a water tank is not how terrorist do things.

Botulism bacteria produce toxin only under certain nutrient conditions which require amino acids being absorbed as nutrients. Spores are not produced under those conditions; they require a depletion of nutrients. Therefore, the spores do not have toxin in them. If rapidly growing cells were used for toxin, they would be unstable, and the toxin would be broken down.

So whole cells are not a real method of producing botulism toxin. The pretense that they are is nothing but dissinformation for a public which is supposed to imagine the results.

Botulism in a water supply has been a traditional story. It doesn't seem relevant to the military; and terrorists could never achieve it on their own. There is some talk of terrorists getting assistance from a rogue country. Maybe with explosives, but not with biologicals. Such countries are too inept with their science to be successful at such a demanding task.

Iraq cannot Produce it.

Even Iraq can't produce an effective delivery system for biologicals. The evidence indicates that they threw up everything they had during the gulf war, and most persons didn't notice. Most of their focus is on liquid dispersion, such as spray planes, which is unrealistic for biological weapons.

Reports state that Iraq had botulism toxin in a few weapons which were found after the Gulf War. It would have been slop in liquid form, which would be totally nonfunctional. Iraq is not sophisticated enough to test for functionality.

Some bureaucrats say botulism toxin is easily produced by precipitating it in acid. Do you think they would be saying that if it would actually work? The precipitate would be nonfunctional. The Americans are still trying to produce a feeze dried form of it in their attempts to create functionality.

Journalists claim that Iraq has sophisticated science laboratories. The glitter might impress some persons, but Iraq's science functions at the level of a coolaid stand. A lot of persons don't realize it but science cannot be produced in a vacuum the way technology can. Science has too many interdependent elements for short-cut versions. Complex science can only be produced in an environment of a developed science establishment. It isn't just a question of buying enough materials; it is a question of knowledge, contacts, access, interaction, scale, expense, diversity, freedom, etc.

Terrorists Tried it and Failed.

A religious cult in Japan spent tens of millions of yens trying to develop biological weapons, and they failed, before turning to sarin gas. So why do bureaucrats keep saying they are surprised terrorists haven't used biological weapons yet?