TETRODOTOXIN (TTX)

NEWS: In Kerala (Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram) –>several people fell seriously ill and some died after eating seafood at a restaurantàsuspected -natural marine neurotoxin called Tetrodotoxin (TTX).

Tetrodotoxin (TTX)

• An extremely powerful neurotoxin found naturally in some marine organisms.
• One of the most potent neurotoxins known
• Affects the nervous system
• Can cause paralysis and death within hours
• Normal food poisoning = stomach infection
• TTX poisoning = nerve damage + paralysis

Key Scientific Features of Tetrodotoxin

• Neurotoxin
• Naturally occurring marine toxin
• Heat-stable (cooking does NOT destroy it)
• No specific antidote
• Effect Paralysis, respiratory failure, death
• Mechanism Blocks sodium channels in nerves