Enterotoxin
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
An enterotoxin is a protein toxin released by a micro-organism in the lower intestine. 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.
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: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Clostridium perfringens, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Rotavirus and Yersinia enterocolitica. These toxins have A and B subunits. The A subunit is responsible for the loss of permeability of the intestinal endothelial cells. The B subunit acts as a syringe, injecting the A subunit into the cytoplasm.
See also
External links
 | This medical article is a stub. You can help WikiDoc by expanding it. |
ja:エンテロトキシン nl:Enterotoxine sk:Enterotoxín
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
