Modulation of gut physiology through enteric toxins.

Diarrheal diseases caused by microorganisms and their toxins are a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Acute diarrhea is mainly caused due to increased intestinal secretion, commonly as a result of infection with enterotoxin producing organisms (enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera) or due to decreased intestinal absorption from infection with organisms that damage the intestinal epithelium (enteropathogenic E. coli sp., Shigella sp., Salmonella sp.) The studies of the impact of enteric pathogens and their virulence factors exert their effect by producing toxins, called bacterial toxins. The protein toxins are produced by diverse group of bacteria. Most of the bacterial toxins exert their effect through involvement of ADP-ribosylation proteins; otherwise essential for several cellular functions while other toxins involve guanylate cyclase systems or calcium and protein kinases for their ultimate action.