How to Use botulism in a Sentence

botulism

noun
Definition of botulismnext
  • There’s a lot of places [where] dirt’s got botulism in it.
    — Melody Schreiber, The New Republic, 2 Apr. 2020
  • But even if the botulism explanation is true, the toxin cannot live in the body for a year.
    — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, 26 Sep. 2017
  • The incidence of botulism in Alaska is 836 times greater than in rest of US - a clash of culture & disease.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2011
  • Reduced water for wildlife refuges and flooding rice farms could set the stage for botulism and avian cholera outbreaks.
    — Louis Sahagúnstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022
  • That’s still not in my wheelhouse, thanks to a phobia that took root after writing about botulism in 1979.
    — Mary Bergin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 Sep. 2020
  • Officials believe the birds were likely killed by Type E botulism and washed ashore this week.
    — Detroit Free Press, 18 Oct. 2019
  • Raw garlic also should not be used in sous vide cooking because there’s a risk of botulism.
    — Washington Post, 25 June 2021
  • Give honey to soothe a cough (but not if your kid is under a year, because deadly botulism spores can live in honey).
    — Rachel Pearson, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2022
  • And the birds are also susceptible to avian botulism, which killed over a thousand birds at Kamfers in 2013.
    — Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2019
  • The tea has a risk of botulism, a rare but serious illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by a bacterium.
    — Susan Abram, The Mercury News, 20 June 2017
  • In the Great Lakes, they’re blamed for outbreaks of avian botulism that have killed tens of thousands of birds and for a general increase in water pollution.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
  • By noon each day, the rescue teams have often filled their crates with birds in various stages of botulism poisoning.
    — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 1 Sep. 2020
  • Every 10 weeks, Sundquist gets 32 bee sting–like injections of the nerve-numbing botulism toxin into her face and neck.
    — Emily Underwood, Science | AAAS, 18 May 2018
  • Another concern is the potential, albeit small, risk of botulism for those who try the trend with raw honey.
    — NBC News, 2 Aug. 2021
  • For instance, bacteria that cause cholera, botulism, and dysentery all do so with the help of toxins encoded by prophage.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2018
  • On average, about 20 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with wound botulism each year.
    — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, 11 June 2021
  • But untreated and out of control in the body, botulism attacks the nervous system, breathing and heart function.
    — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, 21 June 2017
  • Adding moist components to the oil increases the risk of botulism (this is especially true of garlic).
    — Becky Krystal, charlotteobserver, 17 Apr. 2018
  • One man in Nome died this year after contracting botulism from a potluck meal of beluga flipper.
    — Craig Welch, National Geographic, 22 May 2019
  • Botulism does not cause fever, and those affected are usually alert and aware of their surroundings.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 25 May 2017
  • Because the acid in the food kills microorganisms that can lead to spoilage, bacterial growth, and the risk of food poisoning (including botulism).
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 15 Sep. 2020
  • Martin Galindo, a father of two, contracted botulism from the cheese.
    — Leada Gore, AL.com, 25 May 2017
  • The company claims that the sanitation process helps protect users from risks, such as botulism, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and more.
    — Melissa Lee, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2020
  • Round gobies can also spread botulism throughout the food chain.
    — Michael Hollan, Fox News, 15 Apr. 2022
  • But shallow, warm waters could also fuel botulism outbreaks and mass die-offs, The Times’ Susanne Rust reports.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2023
  • North Korea has claimed Warmbier fell into a coma that resulted from botulism and a sleeping pill.
    — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2017
  • The North Korean government said botulism is to blame for Warmbier's condition, but doctors haven't found any evidence of the illness in the now 22-year-old.
    — Paul Leblanc, CNN, 16 June 2017
  • Shallow pricks of botulism neurotoxins are inserted all over the face just below the surface of the skin for more of a smoothing effect than a muscle-freezing one.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 12 Apr. 2022
  • Four of them showed symptoms consistent with the possible spread of toxin beyond the injection site and had to be treated with botulism antitoxin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release.
    — Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2024
  • However, the agency noted that five people were specifically tested for botulism, and all tested negative.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 16 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'botulism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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