Bacteriol

/bækˈtɪrɪɔl/ noun

Definition

A toxic substance or enzyme produced by bacteria; a bacterial toxin.

Etymology

From bacteria + -ol (a suffix for chemical substances and oils). An archaic term from early microbiology, now rarely used.

Kelly Says

This older term has mostly been replaced by more specific names like 'exotoxin' and 'endotoxin,' but it shows how scientists in the 1800s were frantically trying to name and categorize all the dangerous substances bacteria produced.

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