Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive foodborne pathogen1 that can cause foodborne disease. A publication by Scallan et al.2 in 2011 estimated that 55 human foodborne botulism cases, including 9 deaths, occur annually in the US.
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne botulism in the US and Canada include:
Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laboratory Sciences, Atlanta, GA, U.S.
Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, U.S.
Institute for Food Safety and Health, National Center for Food Safety and Technology, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL, U.S.
Johnson Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U.S.
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne botulism in Europe include:
korkeala Laboratory, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, University of Helsinki, Finland
Peck Laboratory, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK.
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne botulism in South and Latin America include:
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne botulism in Asia and Australia include:
Additional resources on Clostridium botulinum:
A number of key sources on Clostridium botulinum and botulism are available on USDA FSIS website and CDC website.
References
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_botulinum
2Scallan et al. 2011.Emerging Infectious Diseases 17:7-15 PMID:21192848