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tetanus

(Encyclopedia)tetanus tĕtˈnəs, –ənəs [key] or lockjaw, acute infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by the toxins of Clostridium tetani. The organism has a widespread distribution and is com...

cholera

(Encyclopedia)cholera kŏlˈərə [key] or Asiatic cholera, acute infectious disease caused by strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae that have been infected by bacteriophages. The bacteria, which are found in fe...

botulism

(Encyclopedia)botulism bŏchˈəlĭzˌəm [key], acute poisoning resulting from ingestion of food containing toxins produced by the bacillus Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium can grow only in an anaerobic atmosp...

Roux, Pierre Paul Émile

(Encyclopedia)Roux, Pierre Paul Émile ro͞o [key], 1853–1933, French physician and bacteriologist. He was a pupil of and coworker with Pasteur. In 1888 he and A. E. J. Yersin demonstrated that the diphtheria ba...

gangrene

(Encyclopedia)gangrene, local death of body tissue. Dry gangrene, the most common form, follows a disturbance of the blood supply to the tissues, e.g., in diabetes, arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, or destruction of t...

intoxication

(Encyclopedia)intoxication, condition of body tissue affected by a poisonous substance. Poisonous materials, or toxins, are to be found in heavy metals such as lead and mercury, in drugs, in chemicals such as alcoh...

poison

(Encyclopedia)poison, any agent that may produce chemically an injurious or deadly effect when introduced into the body in sufficient quantity. Some poisons can be deadly in minute quantities, others only if relati...

sore throat, streptococcal

(Encyclopedia)sore throat, streptococcal strĕpˌtəkŏkˈəl [key], infection and inflammation of the pharynx caused by certain streptococcal bacteria. These organisms are known as hemolytic streptococci because t...

snakebite

(Encyclopedia)snakebite, wound inflicted by the teeth of a snake. The bite of a nonvenomous snake is rarely serious. Venomous snakes have fangs, hollow teeth through which poison is injected into a victim. All type...

antibody

(Encyclopedia)antibody, protein produced by the immune system (see immunity) in response to the presence in the body of antigens: foreign proteins or polysaccharides such as bacteria, bacterial toxins, viruses, or ...

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