saxitoxin

American  

[sak-si-tok-sin] / ˌsæk sɪˈtɒk sɪn /

noun

1. a powerful neurotoxin, C 1 0 H 1 7 N 7 O 4 , produced by the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax catenella, the causative agent of red tide.

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Etymology

Origin of saxitoxin

1960–65; < New Latin Saxi ( domus ), a clam genus infected by the dinoflagellates (equivalent to Latin sax ( um ) stone + -i- -i- + domus house) + toxin

Example Sentences

To determine which organism was responsible for saxitoxin, the U-M team collected samples directly from HABs as they appeared in the lake.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2025

According to the researchers, they have monitored saxitoxin in the lake for nine years, but this span is too short to determine whether toxin levels will rise as the climate continues to warm.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2025

The two most dangerous produce powerful neurotoxins that accumulate in the marine food chain: Alexandrium catenella, which produces saxitoxin, and Pseudo-nitzschia australis, which produces domoic acid.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

But the CIA held on to 10.9 grams of saxitoxin, a close chemical cousin of the fearsome fugu, along with eight milligrams of a toxin made from cobra venom.

From Time Magazine Archive

Probably the best solution was proposed last week by Murdoch Ritchie, a Yale pharmacology professor and an expert on saxitoxin.

From Time Magazine Archive