1. A substance, typically a protein or toxin, that causes the destruction or lysis of red blood cells, releasing hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid.
Usage: technical; medical/biological; also spelled hemolysin in U.S. English

Examples

• The bacterium produces a haemolysin that damages red blood cells in infected tissue.
• Certain snake venoms contain haemolysins that cause severe hemolysis in victims.
• The laboratory test detected haemolysin activity in the patient's serum.
• Streptococcal haemolysins are important virulence factors in bacterial infections.
• Researchers studied how the haemolysin protein interacts with cell membranes.