Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
Concept
Microbial toxin
Summary
Microbial toxins are toxins produced by micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, dinoflagellates, and viruses. Many microbial toxins promote infection and disease by directly damaging host tissues and by disabling the immune system. Endotoxins most commonly refer to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipooligosaccharide (LOS) that are in the outer plasma membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The botulinum toxin, which is primarily produced by Clostridium botulinum and less frequently by other Clostridium species, is the most toxic substance known in the world. However, microbial toxins also have important uses in medical science and research. Currently, new methods of detecting bacterial toxins are being developed to better isolate and understand these toxin. Potential applications of toxin research include combating microbial virulence, the development of novel anticancer drugs and other medicines, and the use of toxins as tools in neurobiology and cellular biology.
Bacteria toxins which can be classified as either exotoxins or endotoxins. Exotoxins are generated and actively secreted; endotoxins remain part of the bacteria. Usually, an endotoxin is part of the bacterial outer membrane, and it is not released until the bacterium is killed by the immune system. The body's response to an endotoxin can involve severe inflammation. In general, the inflammation process is usually considered beneficial to the infected host, but if the reaction is severe enough, it can lead to sepsis. Exotoxins are typically proteins with enzymatic activity that interfere with host cells triggering the symptoms associated with the disease. Exotoxins are also relatively specific to the bacteria that produce it; for example, diphtheria toxin is only produced by Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria and is required for the diphtheria disease. Some bacterial toxins can be used in the treatment of tumors. Endotoxins most commonly refer to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipooligosaccharide (LOS) that are in the outer plasma membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related courses (1)
ENG-436: Food biotechnology
The course will deliver basic knowledge on the principles of food fermentation and enzyme technology. The course will also present benefits that food biotechnology can bring in terms of Nutrition & He
Related lectures (15)
Parkinson's Disease: Genetic Factors
Explores genetic factors in Parkinson's disease, focusing on a-synuclein, Parkin, and PINK1, and their impact on mitochondrial quality control.
The Three Domains of Life
Explores the three domains of life, metabolic processes, genetic diversity acquisition, and the human microbiome.
Toxins in Fruits and Vegetables
Explores the presence of toxins in common fruits and vegetables and their potential health effects.