Neutralizing Antibodies to Botulinum Toxin Type A as a Secondary Treatment Failure: A Case Report from Mumbai, India

Abstract

Botulinum toxin use in aesthetic medicine for treatment of facial rhytids is common and has become more and more popular in India in recent times. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is produced by clostridium botulinum which is an anaerobic, spore forming, rod shaped bacteria. The botulinum toxin complex contains a 150 KD neurotoxin together with a complex additional protein. The neurotoxin is cleaved by the clostridial proteases into heavy and light chain. The heavy chain (100 KD) after cleavage binds to gangliosides and a protein receptor on the presynaptic nerve ending, whereas the light chain (50 KD) blocks the release of acetylcholine, leading to a dose dependent weakening of the target muscle.