A toxin produced by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the causative agent of diphtheria disease.
From diphtheria (the disease name derived from Greek diphthera, leather membrane) + -in (chemical suffix), referring to the specific protein toxin responsible for the disease's symptoms.
Diphtheria toxin is so powerful that it can kill human cells by producing false proteins, and one of medicine's greatest victories was discovering how to neutralize it with antitoxins—this discovery transformed diphtheria from a leading cause of childhood death into a preventable disease.
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