noun
- a poisonous substance produced by bacteria and released into surrounding tissues or the bloodstream
Usage: medical; biology
Examples
- The botulism exotoxin is one of the most potent biological toxins known.
- Diphtheria bacteria produce an exotoxin that damages heart and nerve tissue.
- Unlike endotoxins, exotoxins are actively secreted by living bacteria.
- The cholera exotoxin causes severe dehydration by affecting intestinal cells.
- Researchers studied how the exotoxin disrupts normal cellular function.
- Antitoxins can neutralize specific exotoxins in the bloodstream.