Editing Clostridium perfringens (section)

==== Epsilon toxin ====
Epsilon toxin (ETX) is a protein produced by type B and type D strains of ''C. perfringens.'' This toxin is currently ranked the third most potent bacterial toxin known.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Alves |first1=Guilherme Guerra |last2=Machado de Ávila |first2=Ricardo Andrez |last3=Chávez-Olórtegui |first3=Carlos Delfin |last4=Lobato |first4=Francisco Carlos Faria |date=2014-12-01 |title=Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin: The third most potent bacterial toxin known |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075996414001309 |journal=Anaerobe |volume=30 |pages=102–107 |doi=10.1016/j.anaerobe.2014.08.016 |issn=1075-9964 |pmid=25234332|url-access=subscription }}</ref> ETX causes [[Enterotoxemia|enterotoxaemia]] in mainly goats and sheep, but cattle are sometime susceptible to it as well. An experiment using mice found that ETX had an LD50 of 50-110&nbsp;ng/kg.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Xin |first1=Wenwen |last2=Wang |first2=Jinglin |date=2019-09-01 |title=Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin: Toxic effects and mechanisms of action |journal=Biosafety and Health |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=71–75 |doi=10.1016/j.bsheal.2019.09.004 |issn=2590-0536 |s2cid=208690896 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The excessive production of ETX increases the permeability of the intestines. This causes severe edema in organs such as the brain and kidneys.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Geng |first1=Zhijun |last2=Kang |first2=Lin |last3=Huang |first3=Jing |last4=Gao |first4=Shan |last5=Wang |first5=Jing |last6=Yuan |first6=Yuan |last7=Li |first7=Yanwei |last8=Wang |first8=Jinglin |last9=Xin |first9=Wenwen |date=2021-07-30 |title=Epsilon toxin from Clostridium perfringens induces toxic effects on skin tissues and HaCaT and human epidermal keratinocytes |journal=Toxicon |volume=198 |pages=102–110 |bibcode=2021Txcn..198..102G |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.05.002 |issn=0041-0101 |pmid=33965432 |s2cid=234343237 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The very low LD50 of ETX has led to concern that it may be used as a bioweapon. It appeared on the [[select agent]] lists of the US CDC and USDA, until it was removed in 2012. There are no human vaccines for this toxin, but effective vaccines for animals exist.<ref name="MEDCOE2">{{cite book |last1=Stiles |first1=Bradley G. |url=https://medcoe.army.mil/borden-tb-medical-aspects-bio-war |title=Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare |last2=Barth |first2=Gillian |last3=Popoff |first3=Michel R. P |date=2018 |publisher=Health Readiness Center of Excellence (US Army) |isbn=9780160941597 |edition=2 |chapter=Clostridium Perfringens Epsilon Toxin}}</ref>