tetrodotoxin

noun

te·​tro·​do·​tox·​in te-ˌtrō-də-ˈtäk-sən 

: a neurotoxin C₁₁H₁₇N₃O₈ found especially in puffer fish that blocks nerve conduction by suppressing permeability of the nerve fiber to sodium ions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Larval pufferfish protected by maternal tetrodotoxin, Toxicon, 78 35-40. —Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2015

In fact, a single pufferfish has enough tetrodotoxin to take out 1,200 humans. —Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 19 Jan. 2023

The newts produce a chemical in their skin called tetrodotoxin, or TTX for short, that's made by other poisonous animals like pufferfish. —Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2011

Last year's posts on how dolphins might not be getting high on tetrodotoxin and my open letter to Discovery Channel for their terrible Megalodon fauxmentary stayed in the top ten this year. —Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2014

The toadlets secrete a poison called tetrodotoxin, which is the same poison found in fugo fish, Goutte said. —Megan Marples, CNN, 28 Apr. 2021

Hammerhead worms produce tetrodotoxin, the same deadly neurotoxin produced by pufferfish. —Aj Willingham, CNN, 30 Dec. 2020

While the worms do not appear to secrete enough of the toxin through the skin to be considered dangerous, Murphy says to exercise caution, as tetrodotoxin is very dangerous. —Allen Kim, CNN, 23 Nov. 2020

In the most delicious species, the innards are suffused with the neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX). —New York Times, 4 Dec. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary tetrodo- (from New Latin Tetrodon, genus of tropical marine fishes) + toxin

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

tetrodotoxin

noun

te·​tro·​do·​tox·​in te-ˌtrōd-ə-ˈtäk-sən 

: a neurotoxin C₁₁H₁₇N₃O₈ that is found especially in pufferfishes and that blocks nerve conduction by suppressing permeability of the nerve fiber to sodium ions