Question

Which statement about endotoxins is true?

An example of a prokaryote that produces endotoxins is Clostridium botulinum.
Endotoxins are released only when bacteria die and their cell walls break down.
The source of endotoxins is endospores.
Endotoxins are proteins secreted by prokaryotes.
Endotoxins are components of the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria.

Answer 1

The true statement about endotoxins is that they are released when gram-negative bacteria die and the cell wall breaks down, not from endospores or gram-positive bacteria.

Step-by-step explanation:

The true statement about endotoxins is that endotoxins are released only when bacteria die and their cell walls break down. Endotoxins are part of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) found on the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. They are not proteins and are not produced by prokaryotes like Clostridium botulinum, which instead produces an exotoxin. Unlike exotoxins, which are secreted by both gram-positive and some gram-negative bacteria and have specific targets and mechanisms, endotoxins do not have such specific actions and are known for stimulating a systemic inflammatory response. Moreover, endotoxins are not the source of endospores nor are they components of gram-positive bacterial cell walls.