Enterotoxin

All you want to know about Enterotoxin

An enterotoxin (not to be confused with endotoxin) is a protein toxin released by a microorganism in the intestine.[1]

Enterotoxins are frequently cytotoxic and kill cells by altering the permeability of the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. They are mostly pore forming toxins, secreted by bacteria, that assemble to form pores in cell membranes. This causes the cells to die.

Contents

Clinical significance

The death of cells that form the barrier between the intestinal lumen and the surrounding tissue causes interstitial fluid, composed of water and electrolytes to leak into the intestinal tract, causing diarrhea.

Organisms secreting enterotoxins

Examples of organisms secreting enterotoxins are:

Bacterial

Viral

See also

References

  1. ^ enterotoxin at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. ^ Katahira J, Sugiyama H, Inoue N, Horiguchi Y, Matsuda M, Sugimoto N (October 1997). "Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin utilizes two structurally related membrane proteins as functional receptors in vivo". The Journal of biological chemistry 272 (42): 26652–8. PMID 9334247, http://www.jbc.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=9334247. 
  3. ^ a b MeSH Enterotoxins
  4. ^ "eMedicine - CBRNE - Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B : Article by Danielle M Pesce". Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
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Toxins (enterotoxin/neurotoxin/hemotoxin/cardiotoxin)
Bacterial toxins
Mycotoxins
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
note: some toxins are produced by lower species and pass through intermediate species
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotoxin"

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