toxin

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-028430",
  "term": "toxin",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. A chemical, physical, or biological agent that causes disease or some alteration of the normal structure and function of an organism. Onset of effects may be immediate or delayed, and impairments may be slight or severe.\n\n2. A poison that is produced by microorganisms, carried by fish, or released by plants.\n\n3. Specific, characterizable, poisonous chemicals, often proteins, with specific biological properties, including immunogenicity, produced by microbes, higher plants, or animals.\n\n4. A poison, usually protein, produced by higher plants, animals, or microorganisms that is toxic to other living organisms.\n\n5. A chemical, physical, or biological agent that causes disease or some alteration of the normal structure and function of an organism. Usually refers to poisonous substance produced during the metabolism and growth of certain microorganisms and some higher plant and animal species, or any poisonous isomer, homolog, or derivative of such a substance. It causes either permanent or reversible injury to the health of a living thing on contact or absorption, typically by interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes and receptors. Onset of effects may be immediate or delayed, and impairments may be slight or severe. (NCI)\n\n6. A poison that is produced by microorganisms, carried by fish, or released by plants. [FDA 2001]",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Nearshore Terrestrial Ecosystems Glossary",
    "FDA 2001",
    "NIH Genetics Home Reference Glossary",
    "Thesaurus of Terms Used in Microbial Risk Assessment"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/toxin/"
}