staphylococcal enterotoxin
- noun
- /ˌstæfɪləˈkɑkəl ˌɛntəroʊˈtɒksɪn/
- Specialized
:
enterotoxina estafilocócica
- The staphylococcal enterotoxin produced by the contaminated food caused severe illness in several diners.
Examples
-
Preformed staphylococcal enterotoxin was detected both in taco samples that were treated with urea and zinc acetate and in those not treated, but was not detected in the Spanish rice sample.
Academic text (1997) -
Food samples were tested for the presence of preformed staphylococcal enterotoxins with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (1).
Academic text (1997) -
Researchers found high levels of staphylococcal enterotoxin in the leftovers, indicating potential food poisoning.
-
During the investigation, the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin confirmed the source of the outbreak.
Synonyms
A poison from some bacteria that damages the lining of the intestines and causes diarrhea
How Toxic
1
4.6
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'staphylococcal' identifies the bacterial source (Staphylococcus) and 'enterotoxin' denotes a toxin acting on the intestines. A learner who knows both constituents can infer it is a toxin produced by Staphylococcus that affects the gut (and can cause food poisoning), so the modifier+noun formation is predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Staphylococcal enterotoxin is a name that paints a clear picture: staphylococcal links it to the round bacteria Staphylococcus, which look like a 'bunch of grapes', and enterotoxin means a toxin that attacks the 'gut'. So the term refers to a poison made by these bacteria that can 'cause food poisoning'.