Clostridium botulinum are rod-shape

Clostridium botulinum are rod-shaped bacteria (also called C. botulinum. They are anaerobic, meaning they live and grow in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form protective spores when conditions for survival are poor. The spore has a hard protective coating that encases the key parts of the bacterium and has layers of protective membranes. Within these membranes and the hard coating, the dormant bacterium is able to survive for years. C. botulinum is responsible for a disease called botulism.
Botulism is a life-threatening disease caused by the ingestion of a potent neurotoxin produced during growth of the C. botulinumbacteria. This neurotoxin is among the most toxic substances known; even microscopic amounts can cause illness or death. In the past, botulism was linked primarily to home-canned foods. In recent decades, however, botulism illnesses have been linked to foods such as unrefrigerated homemade salsa, baked potatoes sealed in aluminum foil, honey (the primary cause of botulism in infants), garlic in oil, and traditionally prepared salted or fermented fish.