noun
definition
Any toxin secreted by a microorganism into the surrounding environment.
Examples of exotoxin in a Sentence
Clostridium tetani produces its clinical effects via a powerful exotoxin.
Antitoxin-An antibody against an exotoxin, usually derived from horse serum.
The symptoms of nervous system involvement can include seeing double (diplopia), painful or difficult swallowing, and slurred speech or loss of voice, which are all indications of the exotoxin's effect on nerve functions.
The exotoxin may also cause severe swelling in the neck ("bull neck").
The development of a bull neck indicates a high level of exotoxin in the bloodstream.
The antitoxin is made from horse serum and works by neutralizing any circulating exotoxin.
Toxoid-A preparation made from inactivated exotoxin, used in immunization.
Inside the membrane, the bacteria produce an exotoxin, which is a poisonous secretion that causes the life-threatening symptoms of diphtheria.
The exotoxin is carried throughout the body in the bloodstream, destroying healthy tissue in other parts of the body.
The most serious complications caused by the exotoxin are inflammations of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and damage to the nervous system.
It is important not to try to remove the membrane because the trauma may increase the body's absorption of the exotoxin.
People who are sensitive (about 10%) must be desensitized with diluted antitoxin, since as of 2004 the antitoxin is the only specific substance that counteracts diphtheria exotoxin.