A new paper published in  Cell Host & Microbe describes the discovery of a novel source for the botulinum neurotoxin, which is known for therapeutic benefits ranging from treatment of migraines, excessive sweating and cardiac conditions, to wrinkles. According to a report by the University of Waterloo, Canadian and American scientists found it in a strain of animal gut bacteria, Enterococcus faecium.
“This is the first time that an active botulinum toxin has been identified outside of Clostridium botulinum and its relatives, which are often found in soil and untreated water,” said Andrew Doxey, one of the study’s lead authors and a bioinfor­matics professor at the University of Waterloo. “Its discovery has implications in several fields, from monitoring the emergence of new pathogens to the development of new protein therapeutics—it’s a game a changer.”
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