An
exotoxin is a
toxin secreted by
bacteria. An exotoxin can cause damage to the host by destroying cells or disrupting normal
cellular metabolism. They are highly potent and can cause major damage to the host. Exotoxins may be secreted, or, similar to
endotoxins, may be released during
lysis of the cell. Gram negative pathogens may secrete outer membrane vesicles containing lipopolysaccharide endotoxin and some virulence proteins in the bounding membrane along with some other toxins as intra-vesicular contents, thus adding a previously unforeseen dimension to the well-known eukaryote process of
membrane vesicle trafficking, which is quite active at the
host-pathogen interface.