Toxemia is a type of systemic infection in which only the exotoxins produced by the pathogenic bacteria enter the blood circulation after growing and multiplying in the invaded local tissues; the pathogenic bacteria do not enter the blood. The exotoxin reaches susceptible tissues and cells via the blood and causes specific toxicity symptoms, such as diphtheria and tetanus. The etiology is exotoxins produced by various pathogenic bacteria. Exotoxins are proteins, which are mainly released during bacterial growth and reproduction, and the toxin-producing bacteria are mostly gram-positive and a few are gram-negative. Clinical manifestations The clinical manifestations of toxemia are related to the exotoxins produced by the causative bacteria. For example, diphtheria, the bacillus itself usually does not invade the bloodstream, but the absorbed exotoxin can bind to susceptible tissues and cause various clinical manifestations, such as myocarditis, soft palate paralysis, hoarseness, adrenal dysfunction, and other symptoms. For example, tetanus, the causative agent of which is Clostridium tetani, produces tetanospasm toxin that causes the characteristic tetanus symptoms of corns and teeth closure. Examination Toxemia as a type of systemic infection, its laboratory tests mostly see an increase in blood leukocyte count, pathogenic invasion of local tissues at the site can be taken to obtain bacteriological evidence. For example, diphtheria is taken at the junction of pseudomembrane and mucosa, and diphtheria bacilli can be detected by microscopic examination after smear staining. Tetanus generally has typical onset symptoms and does not require bacteriological examination.