If you observe rod-shaped red cells after the Gram stain, you can assume their cell walls contain endotoxin. True or false?

The right answer is True.

Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and thermostable toxins.

Endotoxins are found on the outer surface of the outer membrane of Gram (-) bacteria. Elless are released following the lysis of the bacteria. This can occur during sepsis with G (-) bacilli treated massively with antibiotics.

*Endotoxins are lipidic in nature. They correspond to lipid A of LPS. This confers on them properties characteristic of lipids: - They are not very sensitive to heat. They can not be inactivated by heating.

*They are not very immunogenic: There is almost no antibody produced against endotoxins. We can not conceive of vaccines against them.