endotoxin

noun

en·​do·​tox·​in ˌen-dō-ˈtäk-sən How to pronounce endotoxin (audio)
: a toxic heat-stable lipopolysaccharide substance present in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria that is released from the cell upon lysis
endotoxic adjective

Examples of endotoxin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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One product contained endotoxin – a toxic substance produced by bacteria – suggesting that it was contaminated with microbes. C. Michael White / The Conversation, Quartz, 21 Oct. 2024 One sample had evidence of endotoxin, a poisonous substance found in E. coli and other bacteria that can cause infections in humans. Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 7 Aug. 2024 Many times, these procedures cause more harm than good, producing endotoxins, bacteria, and bacterial byproducts that can be a source of chronic inflammation and toxicity. Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 8 July 2024 Yet, today, LAL remains the dominant technology for detecting endotoxins in medicine. Kristoffer Whitney, Fortune Well, 13 Oct. 2023 The bacteria releases an endotoxin into the host's body, leading the host to go into septic shock. Bellamy Richardson, PEOPLE.com, 29 July 2022 Lipopolysaccharide is a fancy scientific term for an endotoxin that is a major component of the walls of certain bacteria. Patrick Wilson, Outside Online, 15 June 2020 Study subjects injected with the endotoxin were given T-shirts to wear over a few hours to capture their body odor. Sarah Everts, Time, 21 July 2021 When a panel of people smelled the collection T-shirts, panelists found the body odor of people whose immune systems had been activated by the endotoxin to be more aversive than normal body odor. Sarah Everts, Time, 21 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of endotoxin was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near endotoxin

Cite this Entry

“Endotoxin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endotoxin. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

endotoxin

noun
en·​do·​tox·​in ˌen-dō-ˈtäk-sən How to pronounce endotoxin (audio)
: a toxin of internal origin
specifically : a poisonous substance present in bacteria (as the causative agent of typhoid fever) but separable from the cell body only on its disintegration compare exotoxin
endotoxic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on endotoxin

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