‘The most poisonous substance in the world’ discovered?

Scientists have discovered the first new form of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria in more than 40 years, according to a new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The new bacteria produces a toxin so deadly, journal editors made the unusual move to withhold some of the known information about it to protect against the development of new bioweapons. “Miniscule amounts of this toxin can cause fatal paralytic disease in people,” William Schaffner, MD, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine told Weather.com. Dr. Schaffner is also an associate editor of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, though he did not work with this study. The new study describes the circumstances surrounding the discovery while withholding genetic information, at least until a known treatment is discovered. Other forms of botulism have available treatments, Dr. Schaffner said. Discussions over whether to withhold information from a scientific paper...