title: Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin: the third most potent bacterial toxin known.
abstract: Epsilon toxin (ETX) is produced by Clostridium perfringens type B and D strains and causes enterotoxemia, a highly lethal disease with major impacts on the farming of domestic ruminants, particularly sheep. ETX belongs to the aerolysin-like pore-forming toxin family. Although ETX has striking similarities to other toxins in this family, ETX is often more potent, with an LD50 of 100 ng/kg in mice. Due to this high potency, ETX is considered as a potential bioterrorism agent and has been classified as a category B biological agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States. The protoxin is converted to an active toxin through proteolytic cleavage performed by specific proteases. ETX is absorbed and acts locally in the intestines then subsequently binds to and causes lesions in other organs, including the kidneys, lungs and brain. The importance of this toxin for veterinary medicine and its possible use as a biological weapon have drawn the attention of researchers and have led to a large number of studies investigating ETX. The aim of the present work is to review the existing knowledge on ETX from C. perfringens type B and D.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP 31.270-901, Brazil. Electronic address: guilhermeguerra.vet@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Guilherme Guerra
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Universitária Avenue, 1105, Criciúma, SC CEP 88.806-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Andrez
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Machado de Ávila
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP 31.270-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Delfin
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Chávez-Olórtegui
authors.affiliation: Veterinary School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Antônio Carlos Avenue, 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP 31.270-901, Brazil. Electronic address: lobato.francisco@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Francisco Carlos Faria
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lobato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004767:Enterotoxemia / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C039811:Clostridium perfringens epsilon-toxin
keywords: Clostridium perfringens; Enterotoxemia; Epsilon toxin; Pore-forming