News Health & Medicine

Bullfrogs may have an antidote to deadly shellfish poisoning

A “sponge protein” produced by the American bullfrog mopped up the shellfish toxin in mice

A pile of freshly harvested oysters sit on a wire rack above the ground

During harmful algal outbreaks, shellfish can accumulate saxitoxin — a neurotoxin that causes nausea, tingling, and even paralysis in the people who eat it.

Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images

By Katarina Zimmer

In warm, sunny weather, certain marine algae along American coasts and elsewhere can flourish into harmful algal blooms, producing a substance known as saxitoxin.