Batrachotoxin is a highly toxic alkaloid secreted by several creatures to deter predation.
Toxicology: a group of steroidal alkaloids that affects the voltage-gated sodium channel (irreversibly opens and prevents closure)
Sources:
(1) frogs (Phyllobates poison-dart)
(2) birds (some tropical passerine birds)
(3) beetles
It action is more rapid at an alkaline pH.
Clinical features:
(1) convulsions
(2) muscle contractions and/or paralysis
(3) salivation
(4) respiratory paralysis
(5) cardiac arrhythmias
(6) death
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Specialty: Toxicology, Emergency Medicine
