Report of 15 injuries caused by lionfish (pterois volitans) in aquarists in Brazil: a critical assessment of the severity of envenomations

Abstract

Lionfish are venomous fish that belong to the Scorpaenidae family. Individuals of this family and those of the Synanceiidae family comprise most of the existing venomous fish in the world. Lionfish are originally found in the Indo-Pacific, but they have received special attention in the last years for their dissemination in the Atlantic Ocean, with the emergence of large populations in the USA, Caribbean and South America. Because of its beauty, this fish has always been present in private and commercial aquariums around the world. Herein, we describe 15 envenomations in aquarists registered in a period of eighteen years (1997–2014). The stings caused excruciating pain and marked inflammation, with local erythema, edema, heat, paleness and cyanosis. In one case, it was possible to observe vesicles and blisters. There were no skin necroses or marked systemic manifestations. We discuss the possible coming of the fish to South America and the circumstances and clinical impact of the envenomations.

Lionfish envenomation - a sea bathers’ nightmare: A case study at Teaching Hospital Karapitiya

“…However, it can cause some cardiac symptoms such as hypo / hypertension, tachy / bradycardia and very rarely, fever, cold sweating, syncope, nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea, convulsions and even cardiac failure. Hypersensitivity to the venom may cause anaphylactic reactions, which is seen in repeated envenomation (2). Theoretically, lionfish possesses fatal toxins, however deaths due to its sting has not being reported yet (3).…”

“…As saltwater aquariums are not popular in Sri Lanka, lionfish stings not common among local aquarium keepers, which is perhaps more common in the West including USA, Mexico, Brazil etc. (2). In Sri Lanka, the usual community who are at risk includes sea bathers, snorkelers and fishermen.…”

Introdução de Espécies em Ecossistemas Aquáticos: Causas, Prevenção e Medidas de Controle

“…Esta espécie pode causar alterações deletérias em ecossistemas de recifes de coral através de predação de peixes e invertebrados, bem como a competição com predadores nativos (ALBINS; HIXON, 2008). Registrada atualmente em águas costeiras do Brasil, esta espécie tem sido indicada como uma das mais recentes ameaças para as espécies nativas (HADDAD et al, 2015).…”

Fangs for the Memories? A Survey of Pain in Snakebite Patients Does Not Support a Strong Role for Defense in the Evolution of Snake Venom Composition

“…In human patients, these characteristics are evident from clinical cases involving many primarily defensive animal venoms. For instance, virtually all venomous fish use their potent venoms solely for defense, invariably causing intense pain immediately upon envenomation [38][39][40][41][42]. Similarly, the entirely defensive venoms of non-predatory hymenopterans such as honeybees are equally notable for the immediate pain following the sting.…”