A type of food poisoning caused by a neurotoxin (botulin) produced by the growth of Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned or preserved foods.

It is characterized by vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty of vision, nervous symptoms of central origin, disturbances of secretion, motor disturbances, dryness of the mouth and pharynx, dyspepsia, a barking cough, mydriasis, and ptosis.

In adults, botulism is typically caused by the ingestion of preformed toxin; in some cases, however, it results from the production of toxin in the gastrointestinal tract by ingested organisms.

Botulism is the broader term; allantiasis refers only to sausage poisoning.