Chapter 23 : Nefarious Uses of Bacterial Toxins

Abstract:

Bacterial toxins represent some of the deadliest molecules known to man. Over the ages, evolution has led to precision engineering of these toxins such that only minute quantities of certain bacterial toxins are capable of eliciting lethal outcomes for humans. Many vaccines are inactivated bacterial toxins, which stimulate an immune response to protect the recipient from that toxin-producing pathogen. Regrettably, the power of bacterial toxins has also been harnessed for destructive purposes. Toxins and toxin-producing bacteria that are thought to pose major risks to the public are Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax in humans and animals, Yersinia pestis, which is the causative agent of plague, and botulinum toxin. Continued studies on the basic molecular properties of bacterial toxins will provide insight to develop novel antitoxin therapies, such as the recent recognition that nontoxic forms of bacterial toxins can act in a dominant-negative manner to neutralize toxin action. The potential utilization of pathogenic bacteria and their toxins for criminal acts is a formidable problem that requires a concerted effort on the part of the scientific community. Scientific research has the promise of leading to the development of vaccines and therapeutics that will make biological agents useless in the hands of terrorists.