Enterotoxins

Dear Colleagues,

Enterotoxins elicit their primary effects in the intestinal tract, initiating a metabolic cascade that results in excessive fluid and electrolyte secretion. Enterotoxins are frequently cytotoxic and kill cells by altering the apical membrane permeability of the mucosal epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. The uniform host response is the development of diarrhea. However, at a cellular level and subcellular level, certain enterotoxins induce sophisticated and fascinating metabolic alterations, which can affect the local immune system in a characteristic fashion. In some cases, enterotoxins induce disease outside the gastrointestinal tract, affecting other organ systems. Enterotoxins can exert diverse effects at the same time, either inducing or suppressing the immune cascade. This special issue of Toxins deals with major achievement and recent advances in enterotoxin secretion, toxin trafficking, toxin recognition, host interaction, and disease progression.

C. Chris Yun, Ph. D.
Guest Editor