endotoxin /en·do·tox·in/ (en´do-tok″sin) a heat-stable toxin present in the intact bacterial cell but not in cell-free filtrates of cultures of intact bacteria. Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharide complexes that occur in the cell wall; they are pyrogenic and increase capillary permeability.en´dotoxic
endotoxin
endotoxin [en´do-tok″sin]
en·do·tox·in ( n d -t k s n)n. A toxin that forms an integral part of the cell wall of certain bacteria and is only released upon destruction of the bacterial cell. Endotoxins are less potent and less specific than most exotoxins and do not form toxoids. Also called intracellular toxin. en do·toxic adj. |
endotoxin
[en′dōtok′sin]
Etymology: Gk, endon + toxikon, poison
a toxin contained in the cell walls of some microorganisms, especially gram-negative bacteria, that is released when the bacterium dies and is broken down in the body. Fever, chills, shock, leukopenia, and a variety of other symptoms result, depending on the particular organism and the condition of the infected person. Compare exotoxin.
endotoxin [en´do-tok″sin]
a heat-stable toxin associated with the outer membranes of certain gram-negative bacteria, including Brucella, Neisseria, and Vibrio species. Endotoxins are not secreted but are released only when the cells are disrupted; they are less potent and less specific than the exotoxins; and they do not form toxoids. In large quantities they produce hemorrhagic shock and severe diarrhea; smaller amounts cause fever, altered resistance to bacterial infection, leukopenia followed by leukocytosis, and numerous other biologic effects.
Results of endotoxin release. From Copstead, 1995.
endotoxin,
n toxin present in the cell walls of bacteria that is released after the bacteria has died. May cause chills, fever, leukopenia, and shock depending on the bacterial species and the health of the infected person.
endotoxin (en´dōtok´sin),
n a nondiffusible lipid polysaccharide-polypeptide complex formed within bacteria (some gram-negative bacilli and others); when released from the destroyed bacterial cells, endotoxin is capable of producing a toxic manifestation within the host.
endotoxin
a heat-stable toxin present in the intact bacterial cell but not in cell-free filtrates of cultures of intact bacteria. It is the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative outer membranes. Also called O antigen. It is pyrogenic and increases capillary permeability through stimulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha release.
endotoxin
Bacterial endotoxin, lipid A Microbiology A heat-stable lipopolysaccharide on the outer coat of gram-negative bacteria–eg, those causing cholera, meningitis, pneumonia, plague, whooping cough, et al Clinical Leukopenia,
thrombocytopenia, fever, chills, hemorrhagic shock, dec resistance to infection
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