Acute toxicity

Definition

The adverse physiological effects produced by a single exposure or multiple exposures to a substance within a short time interval, typically with effects manifesting within 14 days of administration. In arthropod toxicology, acute toxicity is distinguished from chronic toxicity by its rapid onset and is commonly quantified through median lethal dose (LD₅₀) or median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) assays.

Etymology

From Latin acutus (sharp, sudden) + Greek toxikon (poison for arrows), via toxicus (poisoned).

Example

In honey bee (Apis mellifera) ecotoxicology, acute oral toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides is measured by feeding individual workers a single dose and recording mortality within 48–96 hours; clothianidin exhibits high acute toxicity with an oral LD₅₀ of approximately 3–4 ng per bee.

Synonyms

• acute poisoning
• short-term toxicity

Related Terms

• Chronic toxicity
• LD50
• LC50
• sublethal effect
• dose-response
• pesticide residue
• insecticide mode of action
• toxicology
• Bioassay

Usage Notes

Acute toxicity is strictly time-bound and dose-specific, not merely 'strong' toxicity. Specialists contrast it with chronic toxicity (repeated long-term exposure) and subacute toxicity (intermediate duration). In arthropod studies, route of exposure matters: contact, oral, and inhalation acute toxicity values often differ substantially for the same compound. The 14-day window is conventional but may be shortened for fast-acting neurotoxins or extended for slow-acting compounds like insect growth regulators.