saxitoxin

biology
Also known as: mussel poison, paralytic shellfish poison

Learn about this topic in these articles:

produced by algae-protists

  • “mermaid's wine glass” algae
    In algae: Toxicity

    … is caused by the neurotoxin saxitoxin or any of at least 12 related compounds, often produced by the dinoflagellates Alexandrium tamarense and Gymnodinium catenatum. Diarrheic shellfish poisoning is caused by okadaic acids that are produced by several kinds of algae, especially species of Dinophysis. Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, caused by toxins…

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  • blue-ringed octopus
    In poison: Protistan poisons

    …shellfish poison, mussel poison, and saxitoxin, is a complex nonprotein nitrogen-containing compound. Paralytic shellfish poisoning is best avoided by following local public-health quarantine regulations.

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