Episode 67: Tetrodotoxin Toxicity – From Pufferfish to Forensic Casework

This week on The Tox Lab, we’re discussing tetrodotoxin, the potent neurotoxin most commonly associated with pufferfish.

We cover a clinical case of tetrodotoxin poisoning following ingestion of pufferfish stew, which initially followed the expected progression of symptoms before the emergence of unusual neurological features. We then turn to alternative sources of tetrodotoxin, including its presence in trumpet shells off the coast of Portugal, and explore how tetrodotoxin and its analogues may appear in unexpected places.

Finally, we put our forensic hats on and examine a case in which tetrodotoxin was used in a homicide.

Join us as we explore how a well-known marine toxin can present in unexpected ways across clinical and forensic toxicology.

Hope you enjoy!

Links to the papers we discussed:

https://www.signavitae.com/articles/10.22514/sv.2026.015

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713525002221?via%3Dihub

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1752928X21000378?via%3Dihub

Disclaimer: All opinions are our own.

Find us on instagram: @the_tox_lab

Email us here: [email protected]