Definition of "botulism" [botulism]

• A severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by ingestion of food containing botulin and characterized by nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, muscular weakness, and fatigue. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "People are too hung up on when bacteria may technically grow on something - since when did a little bacteria do all that much harm? it's like the whole anti-bacterial craze, feed yourself normal bacteria and build up your immunities. although I would stay away from older canned/jarred things - botulism is scary. juggler314"
• "When it hit the market, Botox was hailed in the media as the newest, strangest thing under the sun, and to the extent that it's not every day that a close cousin of botulism is touted as the latest route to youth and beauty, such fanfare was understandable."
• "But the number of dead birds has not been considered high enough to label botulism as the main culprit in the disappearance."