It is unclear how ingested botulinum neurotoxin invades the host to cause illness. Here, the authors show that the toxin complex containing neurotoxin, hemagglutinin (HA), and NTNHA proteins traverses the epithelial barrier via HA-glycoprotein 2 interaction and endocytosis by Peyer’s patch microfold cells.
Botulinum toxin A complex exploits intestinal M cells to enter the host and exert neurotoxicity