(Lower plants toxins)

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 Bacterial Toxin:
1. Clostridium botulinum
it is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped. It is an obligate anaerobe, meaning
that oxygen is poisonous to the cells. C. botulinum is only able to produce the
neurotoxin during sporulation, which can only happen in an anaerobic
environment, spore-forming, motile bacterium with the ability to produce the
neurotoxin botulinum. The botulinum toxin can cause a severe flaccid
paralytic disease in humans and other animals. And is the most potent toxin known
to humankind, natural or synthetic, with a lethal dose of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg in humans.
C. botulinum is a diverse group of pathogenic bacteria initially grouped together by
their ability to produce botulinum toxin.
C. botulinum is responsible for foodborne botulism (ingestion of preformed toxin),
infant botulism (intestinal infection with toxin-forming C. botulinum), and wound
botulism (infection of a wound with C. botulinum). 
Botulinum toxin types
Seven types of toxins have been identified that are allocated a letter (A-
G)Only botulinum toxin types A, B, E, and F cause disease in humans. Types A, B,
and E are associated with foodborne illness, with type E specifically associated
with fish products. Type C produces limber neck in birds and type D causes
botulism in other mammals. No disease is associated with type G.
Foodborne botulism:
 "Signs and symptoms of foodborne botulism typically begin between 18 and 36
hours after the toxin gets into your body, but can range from a few hours to several
days, depending on the amount of toxin ingested.

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 Double vision
 Blurred vision
 Drooping eyelid
 Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps
 Trouble breathing
 Difficulty in swallowing
 Dry mouth
 Muscle weakness

Wound botulism:

Wound botulism is a very serious disease caused by the Clostridium

botulinum (C. botulinum for short) bacteria infecting a wound. The skin functions
as a protective barrier that protects the body from various bacteria, viruses, and
organisms that can harm the body. However, when the skin is damaged or cut,
there is a breakdown of this protective barrier that allows these harmful organisms
to enter the body

Wound Botulism: Symptoms

Symptoms of wound botulism include:

 Fatigue
 Weakness
 Dizziness
 Difficulty seeing, talking, and swallowing
 Drooping or sagging face
 Paralysis

Botulism can even be life-threatening, causing death in 5-10% of the people who
are infected with the bacteria.
Infant botulism:
Infant botulism is a potentially life-threatening disease in which a bacteria
called Clostridium botulinum grows inside a baby's gastrointestinal tract.
Risk factors include swallowing honey as a baby, being around contaminated soil,
and having less than one stool per day for a period greater than 2 months.

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 Symptoms
 Breathing stops or slows
 Constipation
 Eyelids sag or partially close
 Loss of head control
 Paralysis that spreads downward
 Poor feeding and weak suckling
 Respiratory failure
 Tired all the time (lethargy)
 Weak cry

2. Staphylococcus aureus

S. aureus is a spherical bacterium (coccus) which on microscopic

examination appears in pairs, short chains, or bunched, grape-like clusters. These
organisms are Gram-positive. Some strains are capable of producing a highly heat-
stable protein toxin that causes illness in humans.

Toxins
Depending on the strain, S. aureus is capable of secreting several exotoxins,
which can be categorized into three groups. Many of these toxins are associated
with specific diseases.
Super antigens
(PTSAgs) have super antigen activities that induce toxic shock
syndrome (TSS). This group includes the toxin TSST-1,enterotoxin type B,
which causes TSS associated with tampon use. This is characterized by
fever, erythematous rash, hypotension, shock, multiple organ failure, and
skin desquamation. Lack of antibody to TSST-1 plays a part in the
pathogenesis of TSS. Other strains of S. aureus can produce
an enterotoxin that is the causative agent of S. aureus gastroenteritis.
characterized by vomiting and diarrhea one to six hours after ingestion of the
toxin, with recovery in eight to 24 hours. Symptoms include nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, and major abdominal pain.
Exfoliative toxins
EF toxins are implicated in the disease staphylococcal scalded-skin
syndrome (SSSS), which occurs most commonly in infants and young children.

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 It also may occur as epidemics in hospital nurseries. The protease activity of the
exfoliative toxins causes peeling of the skin observed with SSSS.

Symptoms:
The most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, retching, abdominal
cramping,Some individuals may not always demonstrate all the symptoms
associated with the illness. In more severe cases, headache, muscle cramping, and
transient changes in blood pressure and pulse rate may occur. Recovery generally
takes two days, However, it is not unusual for complete recovery to take three days
and sometimes longer in severe cases.

Algal Toxins:
Microcystis aeroginosa
Microcystis aeruginosa is a species of freshwater cyanobacteria which can form
harmful algal blooms of economic and ecological importance. They are the most
common toxic cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic fresh water.

Toxic constituents:
It contains neurotoxins (lipopolysaccharids) and
hepatotoxins(microcystins).

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Signs and symptoms:
Enlargement and congestion of the liver with necrosis of the hepatic cell. These
findings are in general agreement with the observations of other workers who have
examined the toxicity of naturally occurring Microcystis waterblooms.
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae):
Cyanobacteria are bacteria that grow in water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight
to create food and support life). They usually are too small to be seen, but
sometimes can form visible colonies. Cyanobacteria have been found among the
oldest fossils on earth and are one of the largest groups of bacteria. Cyanobacteria
have been linked to human and animal illnesses around the world, including North
and South America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, and China.
CyanoHABs are algae blooms that threaten people, animals, or the environment.
They are dangerous for many reasons:
• Dense CyanoHABs can block sunlight and use up all the oxygen in the
water, killing other plants and animals.
• Some cyanobacteria that can form CyanoHABs produce toxins that are
among the most powerful natural poisons known. These toxins have no known
antidotes.
• CyanoHABs can make people, their pets, and other animals sick. Often, the
first sign that an HAB exists is a sick dog that has been swimming in an algae-
filled pond.
• Children are at higher risk than adults for illness from CyanoHABs because
they weigh less and can get a relatively larger dose of toxin.

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SIGN AND SYMPTOMS
When the amount of blue-green algae increase a lot, a large, dense mass will form.
This mass is called a bloom. Blooms cover the surface of the water and can look
like thick pea soup, often blue-green in colour. Toxins can still be in the water even
if you cannot see the blooms. Blue-green algae blooms occur naturally.
Symptoms from drinking water that contain blue-green algae can
include: headaches, nausea, fever, sore throat, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhea,
abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle aches, mouth ulcers, and blistering of the lips.
Symptoms from swimming and other recreational water activities in contaminated
water can include skin rashes and irritated ears and eyes.
TOXIC CONSTITUENTS
Cyanotoxins:
Cyanotoxins are a diverse group of chemical substances that are categorized by
their specific toxic effects as follows:
• Neurotoxins affect the nervous system.
o Anatoxin-a
o Anatoxin-a(s)

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o Saxitoxin
o Neosaxitoxin
• Hepatotoxins affect the liver.
o Microcystins
o Nodularins
o Cylindrospermopsin
• Tumor promoters are chemicals that can increase tumor growth.
o Microcystins
o Lipopolysaccharides are chemicals that can affect the gastrointestinal system
Gonyaulax cantenella
Gonyaulax belongs to red dinoflagellates and commonly causes red tides

Toxic constituents
Yessotoxins (YTXs), a group of structurally related polyether toxins.
Yessotoxins are a group of lipophilic, sulfur bearing polyether toxins that are
related to ciguatoxins.They are produced by a variety of dinoflagellates.
Sign and syptoms
Symptoms included diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and nausea.