What toxin is produced by the pufferfish and what is the mechanism of toxicity?
a. Tetrodotoxin; Tetrodotoxin is a heat-stable, sodium channel blocker that depresses action potential generation by fast-type sodium channels in neurons and skeletal muscles. This results in a range of symptoms from numbness to cardiorespiratory collapse.
Liu SH, Tseng CY, Lin CC. Is neostigmine effective in severe pufferfish-associated tetrodotoxin poisoning? Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2015 Jan;53(1):13-21. doi: 10.3109/15563650.2014.980581. Epub 2014 Nov 20. PMID: 25410493.
Submitted by: Chiemela Ubani, PharmD and Dawn Sollee, PharmD on behalf of Florida/USVI Poison Information Center – Jacksonville
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