A survey of bacterial toxins involved in food poisoning: a suggestion for bacterial food poisoning toxin nomenclature

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 129 - 144
• Main Authors: Granum, Per Einar, Tomas, Juan M., Alouf, Joseph E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-12-1995
• Subjects: Bacillaceae; Bacterial Toxins - classification; Data Collection; ENFERMEDADES TRANSM POR ALIMENTOS; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterotoxin; ENTEROTOXINAS; ENTEROTOXINE; ENTEROTOXINS; ENVENENAMIENTO; Food Microbiology; Food poisoning; FOODBORNE DISEASES; Foodborne Diseases - microbiology; INTOXICATION; MALADIE TRANSMISSIBLE PAR ALIMENT; Neurotoxins; NOMENCLATURA; NOMENCLATURE; POISONING; Shiga Toxins; Terminology as Topic; TOXINAS; TOXINE; TOXINS; Vibrionaceae; Enterotoxin; Food poisoning; Nomenclature
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/0168-1605(95)00052-6

There is at present no accepted nomenclature for bacterial protein toxins, although there have been several attempts at dividing them into groups by their mode of action. In this paper we will not try to describe all known bacterial protein toxins, but concentrate on the toxins involved in food poisoning. Although most of these toxins are enterotoxins (protein exotoxins with the site of action on the mucosal cells of the intestinal tract) there are also other toxins involved in food poisoning, like the neurotoxins. In Table 1 the most important food pathogens in Europe are listed. For most, but not all, of these food pathogens, toxins are virulence factors. Generally, we divide food poisoning into infections and intoxications, where Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. are typical examples of infections and Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus for intoxications. We consider it better to make four different groups of food pathogenic bacteria, according to Table 2. Today the first three groups are all defined as infections, although for both group 2 and 3 the bacterium itself does not harm the host directly. The bacterium in such locations is like an 'enterotoxin factory'. The bacteria belonging to group 3 do not even interact with the epithelial cells in the intestine, while the bacteria of group 2 must colonise the epithelial cells prior to enterotoxin production.