This neurotoxin is deadly for many animals, and is the cause of paralytic shellfish poisoning in people who eat contaminated seafood. The study lays the foundation for a future saxiphilin treatment for people suffering from the nausea, tingling and more serious paralytic symptoms caused by shellfish poisoning. Without a specific antidote, treatment relies on supportive care such as breathing assistance and oxygen. Mice also had high survival rates when the toxin and antidote were injected together and when the antidote was delivered first. Even if similar injections work in humans, administering an antidote one minute after someone has unknowingly eaten contaminated shellfish isn’t realistic, Tarvin says.