Dorothy FarrarJellyfish Poisoning (Jellyfish Burn)
Jellyfish (equivalent to Medusa or Medusa) are evolutionarily very old, having existed for at least 670 million years. They form a subgroup in the cnidarian phylum. Some jellyfish have poison that is dangerous to humans. Direct skin contact may cause localized irritation and burns. Contact with the most poisonous types of jellyfish, such as the Australian box jellyfish (“sea wasp”) often has life-threatening consequences.
What are jellyfish?
Jellyfish are the enemy of all bathing beauties. While many are just gooey and uncomfortable, some pose a real threat. Read here what they are and what you should do if you come into contact with one.
Jellyfish belong to the cnidarian phylum. Almost all of the well over 2,000 known species go through two life stages, a fixed stage as a polyp and a free-swimming stage as a jellyfish. They are very simply constructed from an umbrella with outer and inner skin and a stomach stalk visible on the underside, with the inner skin also taking on digestive functions.
Jellyfish are made up of 90% water. Unlike other creatures, they have no blood. The danger comes from their tentacles, in which poison is stored. If you touch a poisonous jellyfish, it shoots the poison like an arrow into the skin with its tentacles. This can then feel like a skin burn and can be a lengthy procedure, especially for allergy sufferers. Depending on the jellyfish species, the tentacles can be uncomfortable on the skin in different ways.
Touching the nettle capsules in the tentacles causes paralysis and respiratory failure, and in extreme cases even cardiac arrest. Above all, allergy sufferers and people who are already weak are at risk of anaphylactic shock , which can even be fatal.
In the event of contact, the victim should be pulled out of the water immediately and taken to a hospital. Apply vinegar to the appropriate spot as a first aid measure. Rubbing with sand or pain-relieving ointments are less suitable.
Jellyfish are normally carried by ocean currents, but they can also actively move using a kind of recoil principle, contracting their umbrella and expelling water downwards. They consist of up to 98% water.
Why are jellyfish poisonous?
On the underside of the jellyfish are tentacles of different lengths, which are covered with a large number of stinging cells.These “explode” when touched, and the pressure causes tiny stilettos to pierce the victim’s (or human’s) skin, forming portals of entry for the nettle venom that follows. The tentacles are used by the jellyfish to catch prey and to defend themselves and can reach very different lengths, up to 50m in some species.
Depending on the species of jellyfish, the effect of nettle poison on humans ranges from harmless to burn-like symptoms (jellyfish burns) to life-threatening muscle and respiratory paralysis due to poisoning. The venom produced by the jellyfish is similar to the nettle venom of stinging nettles.
jellyfish species
The vast majority of jellyfish species are completely harmless, e.g. B. the “ear jellyfish” native to the North and Baltic Seas. Nevertheless, there are poisonous jellyfish species that should be avoided if possible. In recent years, reports of the mass occurrence of poisonous jellyfish, especially in the Mediterranean, have increased. Marine biologists see the causes in the rise in temperature of the water and in the general overfishing, which would have led to a disturbance in the ecological balance between jellyfish and fish populations. The most dangerous jellyfish species for humans are:
- The sea wasp (English box jellyfish) belongs to the genus of box jellyfish. The main areas of distribution are the Australian coasts. The venom in the stinging cells of the tentacles is considered one of the most potent biological toxins known. Contact with the tentacles causes great pain and can cause skin burns , muscle spasms , nausea , and life-threatening paralysis. In addition to the general measures recommended below after contact with nettle jellyfish, resuscitation measures such as e.g. B. a cardiopulmonary pressure massage is carried out and an ambulance must be called.
- The Portuguese galley (also called “blue nettle jellyfish”) consists of an organic association of polyps. The main areas of distribution are the Pacific, Caribbean, Canary Islands, occasionally also the Balearic Islands and Spanish coasts. Contact with the nettle venom causes painful jellyfish burns and can lead to anaphylactic shock. In any case, the affected skin areas must be treated in the hospital.
- The native fire jellyfish burns like a nettle, reddens the skin and causes unpleasant pain. It can be found in our native marine waters, the North and Baltic Seas, and more rarely in the Mediterranean.
- In the Mediterranean Sea, particularly near the Balearic Islands, a certain species of stinging jellyfish ( Pelagia noctiluca ) can occur in abundance, belonging to the genus Luminescent jellyfish. Contact with the nettle venom causes painful jellyfish burns.
- The yellow hair jellyfish (also “yellow nettle jellyfish”), which occurs in the Atlantic and in the North and Baltic Seas, belongs to the genus of flag jellyfish . Contact with the nettle venom causes painful jellyfish burns and can trigger an allergic shock.
- If you touch a luminous jellyfish in the dark , it turns a soft pink. What is perhaps beautiful to look at is extremely painful for those affected. Severe burns, darkened skin, and slow healing are the consequences of the tentacle sting. For allergy sufferers, small blisters can form several months later.
Immediate measure: Quick help for burns
If you come into contact with one of these jellyfish, you should react immediately so that the skin injuries do not leave scars. Dousing the areas with vinegar or sea water is most effective. Alcohol and fresh water should not be used under any circumstances, they would burst the poisonous cells still in the skin and cause even more pain.
It is also helpful to cover the areas with sand after the sea salt or vinegar and wipe them off with a kind of spatula after a while. This will remove any remaining tentacles that are still stuck in the skin. Sprinkle the skin with baking soda to block toxic components that may not have been removed after all. Basically, the skin should be cooled.
treatment and therapy
In the event of (painful) contact with a poisonous nettle jellyfish, or after suffering a burn from the jellyfish and after leaving the water, there is a high probability that further unburst nettle cells will stick to the skin. Great care must be taken here to prevent the still attached stinging cells from bursting and causing further jellyfish burns.
The best remedy for rinsing off stuck hives is vinegar! If vinegar is not available, you can try to remove the hives with sea water. Under no circumstances should drinking water or alcohol be used, because then the nettle cells will burst immediately and cause further burns, and you must not work with your bare hands.
If no vinegar is available, shaving cream can also help. B. credit card, can be scraped off together with the attached nettle cells.
As an absolute last resort, if none of the recommended tools are available, you can let the affected skin dry untreated and then scrape it off with dry sand.After removing the still adhering stinging cells, a moderate hyperthermic treatment is recommended as an immediate therapy for the affected skin areas in order to denature the poison and thus make it as ineffective as possible and to counteract further histamine release.
The affected areas can then be cooled with ice to relieve pain. As a further therapy, the use of an antihistamine ointment is recommended because it has a cooling effect, relieves pain or itching and counteracts allergic overreactions of the immune system.
prevention
The most effective protection against poisoning and burns from jellyfish are offered by the diving suits (neoprene suits) worn by divers or surfers and the “stinger suits” that have been available for some time, protective suits that were developed in Australia to protect against box jellyfish. Normal swimwear or leotards with long legs and sleeves are not sufficient protection as the stinging pods can penetrate the fabric. Sunscreens are also sold, which are said to prevent jellyfish burns. The safest protection against dangerous nettle jellyfish is of course to avoid contaminated water.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.