Biology of Humans 4th Edition by Judith Goodenough,Betty McGuire

Exercise 13

Hakeem is a 22-year-old who ate some of his Aunt Sophie's canned tomatoes for dinner last night. This morning, his speech is slurred and he is having trouble standing and walking, so his brother rushes him to the emergency room. The doctor tells Hakeem that he probably has botulism, a type of food poisoning produced by a bacterium that can grow in improperly sealed canned goods. The botulinum toxin prevents the release of acetylcholine at neuromuscular junctions. Explain how Hakeem's symptoms are related to this effect.