This volume describes the structure and function of bacterial toxins and presents a comprehensive review of virulence factors, providing recent information concerning cell physiology and biochemistry, as well as new toxin tools for experimental studies and clinical therapy. A wide variety of toxic proteins, including the toxins that cause diptheria, cholera, pertussis, shigellosis, tetanus, botulism and anthrax, are discussed.;The work is aimed at microbiologists, biochemists, endocrinologists, toxicologists, infectious disease specialists, pathologists, public health officials, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

Biosynthesis and targeting of pertussis toxin; diphthamide - the toxin target in protein synthesis elogation factor 2; leukocidines; heat-stable enterotoxin of escherichia coli; therapeutic effects of botulinum toxins; endotoxin - a mediator of and potential therapeutic target; zot and ace toxins of vibrio cholerae; ADP-ribosylation factors - a family of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that activate cholera toxin and regulate vesicular transport; liposomes and vehicles for vaccines; GTP-binding proteins as the substrate of pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation; modification of actin and rho proteins by clostridial ADP-ribosylating toxins; muramyl peptides as exotoxins - bordetella tracheal cytotoxin; adenylyl cyclase toxin from bordetella pertussis; clostridium difficile and its toxins; structure and function of e. coli heat labile enterotoxin and cholera toxin B-pentamer; anthrax toxins; the diphtheria toxin receptor; bacterial ADP-ribosyltransferases; bordetella pertussis - determinants of virulence; shiga and shiga-like (vero) toxins; cholera toxin and related enterotoxins of gram-negative bacteria.