antitoxin

an·ti·tox·in

noun \ˌan-ti-ˈtäk-sən\

Definition of ANTITOXIN

: an antibody that is capable of neutralizing the specific toxin (as a specific causative agent of disease) that stimulated its production in the body and is produced in animals for medical purposes by injection of a toxin or toxoid with the resulting serum being used to counteract the toxin in other individuals; also : an antiserum containing antitoxins

Origin of ANTITOXIN

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use: circa 1890

Rhymes with ANTITOXIN

aflatoxin, biotoxin, mycotoxin, neurotoxin

an·ti·tox·in

noun \ˌant-i-ˈtäk-sən\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of ANTITOXIN

: an antibody that is capable of neutralizing the specific toxin (as a specific causative agent of disease) that stimulated its production in the body and is produced in animals for medical purposes by injection of a toxin or toxoid with the resulting serum being used to counteract the toxin in other individuals; also : an antiserum containing antitoxins

antitoxin

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Antibody formed in the body in reaction to a bacterial toxin, which it can neutralize. People who have recovered from bacterial diseases often develop specific antitoxins that give them immunity against recurrence. Injecting an animal (usually a horse) with increasing doses of toxin produces a high concentration of antitoxin in the blood. The resulting highly concentrated preparation of antitoxins is called an antiserum. The first antitoxin developed (1890) was specific to diphtheria; today, antitoxins are also used to treat botulism, dysentery, gas gangrene, and tetanus.