ABSTRACT
Captive-raised puffer fish have much less Tetrodotoxin (TTX), but can subsequently accumulate it from bacteria or from wild puffer fish. TTX blocks sodium channels in nerve membranes by binding to a peptide group at the mouth of the channel. The idea that a person with TTX-induced paralysis could look dead and therefore be buried, yet could survive, wake up and ‘rise from the grave’ gave rise to stories of zombies, in particular the case of a man named Clairvius Narcisse. The great explorer Captain James Cook was another victim of TTX. Tiny traces of TTX remain, and this can give a delicate tingle in the mouth and tongue, a sensation that is highly valued. Despite all this training up to 100 Japanese still die each year through TTX poisoning, mainly through cooking it at home. Perhaps the most remarkable TTX story concerns the common garter snake, which is engaged in an ‘arms race’ with the rough-skinned newt.
