A biotoxin is any toxin produced by a living organism (plant, animal, fungus, bacteria). When produced by a member of the animal kingdom, such biotoxins are generally referred to as venoms. All venoms are biotoxins, but not all biotoxins are venoms. A toxin, in a scientific context, is a biologically produced substance that causes injury to the health of a living thing on contact or absorption, typically by interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes and receptors. ... Divisions Green algae Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Divisions Microsporidia Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Wasp stinger, with droplet of venom Venom is a general term for the toxins used by several groups of animal species, for the purpose of defense and hunting prey. ...

Biotoxins vary greatly in form and function, and can be highly complex (the venom of the cone snail contains dozens of small proteins, each targeting a specific nerve channel or receptor), or relatively simple non-protein, such as botulism toxin. The cone snails (Conidae) are marine snails found in coral reefs. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Botulin toxin or botox is the toxic compound produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ...

Phytoplankton bloom in the North Sea and the Skagerrak – NASA

The most intrusive aspect of biotoxins are the consequences of marine algal blooms, many of which produce neurotoxins in high enough concentrations to render the water and any fish and shellfish in it highly toxic. Phytoplankton bloom in the North Sea and the Skagerrak - NASA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Phytoplankton bloom in the North Sea and the Skagerrak - NASA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A red tide resulting from a dinoflagellate bloom discoloring the water on the right An algal bloom is a relatively rapid increase in the population of (usually) phytoplankton algae in an aquatic system. ... For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ...

Some of the more well known biotoxins include:

• Hemotoxin targets and destroys red bloodcells, and is transmitted through the bloodstream.
• Necrotoxin causes necrosis (i.e., death) in the cells it encounters and destroys all types of tissue. Necrotoxin spreads through the bloodstream, but infects all tissues. In humans, skin and muscle tissues are most sensative to necrotoxin. Organisms that possess necrotoxin include:
  • The brown recluse or "fiddle back" spider.
  • Necrotizing fasciitis (the "flesh eating" bacteria)
• Neurotoxin primarily affects the nervous systems of animals. Organisms that possess neurotoxin include:
  • The black widow and nearly identical violin spider.
  • The box jellyfish.

Hemotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells (hemolysis), disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. ... Necrosis (in Greek Νεκρός = Dead) is the name given to unprogrammed death of cells/living tissue (compare with apoptosis - programmed cell death). ... Biological tissue is a group of cells that perform a similar function. ... Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. ... A brown recluse spider The brown recluse spider is a venomous spider of the family Sicariidae and the genus and species Loxosceles reclusa. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells, or neurons, usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels. ... A black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) is a poisonous spider that is infamous for the females habit of eating the male after sexual intercourse. ... Binomial name (Unnamed) The violin spider or black recluse spider is (presumably) a regional variant of the black widow found on the coastal region of Washington, USA and in parts of northernwestern Oregon, where true black widows arent apparently able to survive for long periods of time. ... Orders see text Box jellyfish, also known as sea wasps, are creatures found in Australia and the Philippines that can be extremely deadly, with venom in their tentacles. ...

Biotoxins in nature

Biotoxins are used in nature for two primary reasons:

• Predation (spider, snake, jellyfish, wasp)
• Defense (poison dart frog, deadly nightshade, honeybee, wasp)

Families Suborder Mesothelae     Liphistiidae (primitive burrowing spiders)     Arthrolycosidae (primitive spiders)     Arthromygalidae (primitive spiders) Suborder Mygalomorphae     Antrodiaetidae (folding trapdoor spider)     Atypidae (atypical tarantula)     Ctenizidae (trapdoor spider)     Cyrtaucheniidae (wafer trapdoor spider)     Dipluridae (funnel-web tarantula)     Hexathelidae (venomous funnel-web tarantula)     Mecicobothriidae (dwarf tarantulas)     Theraphosidae (tarantula) Suborder Araneomorphae     Agelenidae (araneomorph funnel-web spider... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Orders Stauromedusae Coronatae Semaeostomae - Disc jellyfish Rhizostomae Jellyfish (also called jellies or sea jellies as they are not true fish) are animals that belong to Phylum Cnidaria, included in the class Scyphozoa (from Greek skyphos cup and zoon animal). The name jellyfish is also sometimes used for the related classes... WASP (an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) is a term that originally denoted the culture, customs, and heritage of the American élite Establishment. ... Genera Many, about 150+ species within 8 genus Poison Dart Frog is the common name given to the group of Dendrobatid frogs belonging to the family of Dendrobatidae. ... Binomial name Atropa belladonna L. Deadly nightshade or belladonna (Atropa belladonna) is a well-known, hardy perennial shrub, a member of the nightshade family. ... Species A. mellifera — western honeybee A. cerana — eastern honeybee The honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. ...

See also

Apitoxin Apitoxin is a complex mixture of proteins, which cause a local inflammation and act as an anticoagulant. ...