General microbiology - viruses, bacteria, fungi >>>> Toxic infections - what is the danger?

Toxic infections - what is the danger?

With a significant variety of microorganisms in our natural environment, not all of them are deadly. The only danger is those microorganisms that have a high virulence - a high ability to release toxins in the course of their life and thereby disable the systems of the human body. The most significant in terms of danger to humans are toxins that have a neurogenic effect, that is, they affect the work of nerve fibers. As a result of the action of such a toxin, paralysis of life-supporting organs and systems.

Many toxic infections are dangerous because they trigger the mechanism of allergic reactions, which can also be dangerous for the functioning of many body systems. And, although nature has endowed the human body with such a multiforme remedy as the immune system, it often does not cope fully.

The high virulence of a microorganism is also directly related to the rate of its reproduction in favorable conditions. If pathogens in small quantities can live in the human body as commensals, without causing significant damage to the work of the body as a whole, then their unlimited reproduction causes a sharp increase in the amount of toxin in the blood, which leads to deadly consequences.

In addition to virulence, the danger of pathogens lies in their ability to overcome the defense mechanisms of the human body: dissolve the cell wall, encapsulate and thus protect themselves from chemically active defense tools (for example, acid-alkaline environment, enzymes, etc.)

How does the human body fight toxicoinfection?

There are several factors in the fight against toxicoinfection:

Quantitative reduction of the colony of virulent organisms,
Neutralization of toxins,
Elimination of toxins from the body.

The quantitative reduction of the pathogen colony and the neutralization of toxins is the task of the immune system, or rather cellular and humoral immunity.

A well-oiled mechanism of the excretory system allows toxic substances to be removed from the body in a timely manner. So diarrhea, profuse urination, sweating are nothing more than an opportunity to get rid of toxic substances. The gag reflex is also designed to free the digestive tract from products containing toxic elements.