Marine animal stings or bites - Overview

Alternative Names

Stings - marine animals; Bites - marine animals

Definition of Marine animal stings or bites:

Marine animal stings or bites refer to poisonous bites or stings from any form of sea life, including jellyfish.

Considerations:

The majority of these types of stings occur in salt water. Some types of marine stings or bites can be deadly.

Causes:

Causes include bites or stings from various types of marine life including: jellyfish, Portuguese Man-of-War, stingray, stonefish, scorpion fish, catfish, sea urchins, sea anemone, hydroid, coral, cone shell, sharks, barracudas, and moray or electric eels.

Jellyfish sting

Reviewed last on: 1/13/2010
Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Otten EJ. Venomous animal injuries. In: Marx JA, ed. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 59.

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