Three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated image of a group of anaerobic, spore-forming, Clostridium sp. organisms. The artistic recreation was based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery. Note, that a number of these organisms have assumed a safety-pin, or clubbed shape, that is indicative of their having entered what is known as an endospore phase, which is a tougher, dormant phase, resistant to heat and UV-radiation. Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and sometimes by strains of Cl. butyricum and Cl. baratii. There are five main kinds of botulism: Foodborne botulism; Wound botulism; Infant botulism; Adult intestinal toxemia; Iatrogenic botulism.