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Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxins: |
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Symptoms and Treatment, Toxicity,
Chemistry, Site of Action, |
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| Return to Top | |
| Symptoms, Treatment, Decontamination | Syndrome Name |
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| Symptoms | Diarrhea accompanied by severe abdominal cramping and bloating. |
| Onset of Symptoms | 8-12 hours |
| Rapid diagnostic assay | An ELISA has been developed. |
| Antidote | No |
| Supportive Care | Fluid replacement, potassium loss is a feature of epsilon toxin poisoning so care must be taken to monitor electrolytes. |
| Inactivation | Decontamination with soap and water, the protein is heat-labile. |
| Route | LD50(micrograms/kg) |
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| Intravenous | 0.1 |
| Intraperitoneal | |
| Oral | |
| Inhalation |
| Structure | A 300 amino acid protein with a molecular weight of 30,000 |
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| CA Name | None (recently changed and we have not found the new name yet.) |
| Trivial Names |
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| Registry Number | Not registered |
| RTECS Number | |
| Molecular Formula |
Not applicable |
| Molecular weight |
Approx. 30,000 |
| Solubility | Soluble in water |
| pKa in water | |
| Complete synthesis | Chemical synthesis is impractical. Toxin can be manufactured by fermentation of Clostridium perfringens or a producer microorganism expressing the cloned gene for the toxin. |
The protein forms a complex, apparently of five molecules of the protein, that forms a pore in the in the cells of the intestine and allow potassium ions and fluids to leak out.
Clostridium perfringens strains B and D.
C. perfringens is a source of a particularly unpleasant form of food poisoning and diagnosis and treatment are fairly well known. It is also a causative agent of gangrene and of a disease of the digestive tract called 'enteritis necroticans' or 'pig-bel.'
The protein can be dispersed by aerosol but it is thought more likely that it would be dispersed by saboteurs. The poisoning usually clears within 1-2 days in healthy adults and may take 1-2 weeks in the elderly. Deaths from poisoning rather than infection are rare.
| Disease | ICD-9-CM | ICD-10 |
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| Food poisoning due to Clostridium perfringens |
005.2 | A05.2 |
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