When we talk about the deadliest poison in the world, we tend to think that it could be found in nature. There are very dangerous animals such as certain types of snakes, spiders or even some toxins from toads. The reality is that this lethal poison, little in the world knows its real name, although we would be surprised by the number of applications it currently has. One of them, botox.
Arsenic was long regarded as the world’s deadliest poison. This poison has been used throughout history for little profit and was a very widespread way of killing in the world. Without going any further, historical figures such as Simón Bolívar or Napoleón died from the ingestion of this type of poison.
But over the years, scientists have discovered that there is another, much more dangerous type of substance. It is the botulinum toxin, which is produced by a bacterium known as Clostridum botulinum.
This bacteria is found in small amounts in botox . This bacterium is up to 600 times more dangerous than some artificial compounds that humans have created, and it is estimated that a single gram of this botulinum toxin could kill a million guinea pigs in an instant.
What is botulinum toxin?
Botulinum toxin has been declared a weapon of mass destruction by the Geneva Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention . Its fatality is very high, although since the antidote was discovered, death cases have been reduced by 20%.
It is made up of seven different strains: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Only strains that produce more than one type of toxin (C and D) are capable of developing botulinum toxin and thus the most lethal poison in the world. Although it is rare, the F strain could also develop the lethal toxin.
This poison causes botulism, a disease that affects as progressive muscle paralysis that affects respiratory function. Its name comes from the Latin, ‘botulus’, which means sausage and was first coined in the 19th century after a massive poisoning from the ingestion of sausages.
Science has always been very interested in this type of toxin as it can have multiple applications. The best known is botox and cosmetic treatments, although it is also used to treat strabismus, or even migraines.
The use in botox is none other than strain A that is used to paralyze the appearance of wrinkles.
