Escherichia coli hemolysin is potentially cytotoxic to monocytes, lymphocytes and macrophages, leading them to autolysis and death.

[citation needed] Visualization of hemolysis (UK: haemolysis) of red blood cells in agar plates facilitates the categorization of Streptococcus.

Many hemolysins are pore-forming toxins (PFT), which are able to cause the lysis of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets by producing pores on the cytoplasmic membrane.

[5] Hemolysins can be secreted by many different kinds of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli or Vibrio parahaemolyticus among other pathogens.

Upon binding, the monomers oligomerize to form a water-filled transmembrane channel that facilitates uncontrolled permeation of water, ions, and small organic molecules.

[citation needed] This pore consists of seven alpha-hemolysin subunits, which represent the major cytotoxic agent that is freed by this kind of bacterium.

This degradation was followed by a noticeable rise of phosphoryl-choline due to the release of organic phosphorus from sphingomyelin and ultimately caused cell lysis.

Compared to beta-hemolysin, it has a higher affinity for phosphocholines with short saturated acyl chains, especially if they have a conical form, whereas cylindrical lipids (e.g., sphingomyelin) hinder its activity.

The lytic process, most commonly seen in leucocytes, is caused by pore formation induced by an oligomerized octamer that organizes in a ring structure.

On the exterior of the 14-strand antiparallel β barrel there is a hydrophobic belt approximately 30 Å in width that provides a surface complementary to the nonpolar portion of the lipid bilayer.

The interfaces are composed of both salt-links and hydrogen bonds, as well as hydrophobic interactions, and these contacts provide a molecular stability for the heptamer in SDS solutions even up to 65 °C.

[citation needed] As mentioned before, hemolysin is a potential virulence factor produced by microorganisms, which can put a human's health at risk.

But the fact that hemolysins (produced by pathogenic microorganisms during infections) are combined with other virulence factors may threaten a human's life to a greater extent.

[citation needed] The main consequence of hemolysis is hemolytic anemia, condition that involves the destruction of erythrocytes and their later removal from the bloodstream, earlier than expected in a normal situation.

[15] Depending on the type of hemolysin and the microorganism that produces it, manifestation of symptoms and diseases may differ from one case to the other:[citation needed] Both aerolysin and alpha-hemolysin are synthesized by extracellular bacteria, which infect specific tissue surfaces.

[16] In this case, it has been proven that alpha-hemolysin takes part in inducing necrotic pulmonary injury by the use of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is responsible for inflammatory processes and of pyroptosis.

Premature activation of leukocytes and inhibition of phagocytosis and chemotaxis by alpha-hemolysin, if they occur in vivo, would greatly enhance the survival of an E. coli attack.