It is a remarkable observation that virtually all bacterial toxins associated with specific
clinical conditions (toxinoses) are encoded by mobile (and therefore variable) genetic
elements. Remarkably, these rarely, if ever, carry determinants of antibiotic resistance.
Examples are the toxins responsible for diphtheria, anthrax, tetanus, botulism, cholera, toxic
shock, scarlet fever, exfoliative dermatitis, food poisoning, travelers' diarrhea, shigella
dysentery, necrotizing pneumonia, and others. A recently discovered example of this …