Intoxication following minor stabs from the spines of a porcupine fish.

We report an unusual intoxication by tetrodotoxin (TTX). A curator of an aquarium sustained minor punctures in his finger from the spines of a porcupine fish during an autopsy of a dead porcupine fish. He developed paresthesias, numbness, paresis, dizziness and headache. The death of the fish might have caused some autolysis, leading to increased availability of TTX. In combination with direct contact with the organ fluids, this probably led to TTX exposure via minor wounds.