Letter T

Toxin

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One of a number of poisons produced by certain plants, animals, and bacteria.

The term 'toxin' is frequently used to refer specifically to a particular protein produced by some higher plants, animals and pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria.

A toxin typically has a high molecular weight (as compared to a simple chemical poison), is antigenic (elicits an antibody response), and is highly poisonous to living creatures.

The word 'toxin' comes from the Greek 'toxikon' = arrow poison and was introduced to medicine in 1888 by the Berlin physician Ludwig Brieger (1849-1909) as a name for poisons made by infectious agents.

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