Special Issue "Enterotoxins 2013"

Guest Editor
Dr. Teresa Krakauer
Department of Immunology, Integrated Toxicology Division, United States Army Medical Research, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
E-Mail: teresa.krakauer@us.army.mil
Phone: +1 301 619 4733
Fax: +1 301 619 2348

Dear Colleagues,

Enterotoxins encompass a diverse group of microbial toxins affecting the gut and are major contributors to bacterial food borne illness, gastrointestinal and systemic diseases for which limited therapeutics are available. Although the pathogenic effects arise from mucosal perturbation, dysregulation of immune cells through mediator release, cell activation or damage are major factors disrupting homeostasis in gut mucosa. Whereas proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines mediate toxic shock induced by staphylococcal enterotoxins, apoptosis and cytotoxic events are responsible for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin and cholera toxin. Understanding of receptors, signaling pathways and the communication between cells of the gastrointestinal tract, immune and neuroendocrine system will facilitate the development of new therapeutics.

Dr. Teresa Krakauer
Guest Editor

Submission

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• enterotoxins
• receptor and signaling mechanism
• mucosal perturbation
• immunoregulation
• targeted therapeutics

Type of paper: Review
Title: Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin
Authors: Bradley G. Stiles ¹, Holger Barth ² and Michel R. Popoff ³
Affiliations: 1 Biology Department, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA;
E-Mail: brad.stiles@wilson.edu
2 Institut für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; E-Mail: holger.barth@uni-ulm.de
3 Institut Pasteur, Bactéries anaérobies et Toxines, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; E-Mail: mpopoff@pasteur.fr
Abstract: Epsilon toxin is a 33 kDa protein produced by Clostridium perfringens (types B and D) and involved in fatal cattle, goat, as well as sheep enteric disease. Epsilon toxin belongs to the aerolysin-toxin family (Aeromonas hydrophila aerolysin and Clostridium septicum alpha toxin), contains three distinct domains, is proteolytically-activated, and forms oligomeric pores on cell surfaces. Vaccination is available to control disease, but therapeutic measures are currently lacking. An overview of epsilon toxin biochemistry, disease characteristics in various animals, and control mechanisms will be shared with the reader.