Jellyfish sting welts

Jellyfish Sting: Symptoms & Treatment

Overview

What is a jellyfish sting?

Jellyfish are sea creatures that live in all of the world’s oceans. They have soft, bell-shaped bodies with lengthy, finger-like structures called tentacles. Jellyfish have stinging cells called nematocysts inside of their tentacles. A single tentacle may contain thousands of nematocysts.

Nematocysts contain a poisonous substance (venom) that helps jellyfish protect themselves. The venom also helps them capture food by stinging it. Jellyfish don’t usually mean to sting humans. They sting when you brush up against them while swimming or walking along the beach.

Most jellyfish stings are harmless. But some jellyfish stings can cause serious harm. If you or someone you’re with is stung, get help right away. If you’re experiencing life-threatening symptoms such as difficulty breathing, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

How do jellyfish sting?

Jellyfish don’t intentionally mean to sting humans. But if you brush by one or accidentally step on one, it stings you to protect itself.

Each nematocyst in a jellyfish’s tentacle contains spring-loaded barbed threads, or tubules. When triggered, a large concentration of calcium passes over the jellyfish’s plasma membrane. This leads to increased pressure inside the nematocyst. The increased pressure causes the threads to uncoil and spring out like tiny darts, firing venom into an unsuspecting victim. The entire process takes a fraction of a second.

Moreover, nematocysts can fire their venom even when they’re unattached from the jellyfish. They can also fire their venom if the jellyfish is dead.

How common are jellyfish stings?

As many as 150 million jellyfish stings occur around the world each year.

How does a jellyfish sting affect my body?

The reaction you receive from a jellyfish sting depends on many variables. Some jellyfish stings only cause minor irritation, and some stings can be fatal. The factors that influence what type of reaction you may have include:

Type of jellyfish.
Your age, health and body weight.
Where on your body you were stung.
The surface area of your exposed skin.
How long the venom has been in your body.

What types of jellyfish can cause serious harm?

There are thousands of different types of jellyfish in the oceans around the world. While some can be harmless, there are others you need to watch out for and avoid. Some of the jellyfish whose stings can cause serious harm include:

Box

The box jellyfish is the most deadly jellyfish in the world. Sometimes called sea wasps, they have box-like bodies with tentacles extending from each corner. Box jellyfish live in tropical areas around the world. They’re commonly found on the northern coast of Australia and the Indo-Pacific Ocean. There are more than 40 species of box jellyfish. The Australian box jellyfish is the most venomous jellyfish in the world.

Lion’s mane

The lion’s mane jellyfish is the largest jellyfish in the world. They can grow up to more than 3 feet wide, and their mane-like tentacles can grow up to 120 feet long. Lion’s mane live in cooler climates in the Arctic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean. Their name comes from the hundreds of sting-covered tentacles that make up their mane.

Sea nettle

The sea nettle jellyfish is one of the most common jellyfish found along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. They’re another large jellyfish that can grow more than 1 foot wide. Each sea nettle has 24 tentacles that can grow up to 6 feet long.

Portuguese man-of-war

The Portuguese man-of-war isn’t technically a jellyfish, but they look like one. These creatures live in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and the Caribbean Sea. Portuguese man-of-war have balloon-like floats that keep them above the water. Below the water, they have long strands of tentacles and polyps that grow to about 30 feet long.

Symptoms and Causes

Symptoms of a jellyfish sting depend on the type of jellyfish you made contact with.

What are the symptoms of a jellyfish sting?

The symptoms of jellyfish stings depend on the type of jellyfish you made contact with. If you have a minor jellyfish sting, you may feel slight pain, itching, burning or throbbing. A jellyfish sting may look like a rash with red, purple or brown patches.

More serious jellyfish stings can cause greater harm. You should seek medical help right away if you have more severe symptoms. These symptoms may include:

Difficulty breathing.
Chest pain.
Muscle cramps.
Skin blisters.
Numbness or tingling.
Nausea or vomiting.
Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
Abdominal pain.
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).

What causes a jellyfish sting?

You may come into contact with the nematocysts of a jellyfish when you’re swimming in the ocean or walking on the beach. This contact can cause a jellyfish to inject its venom from the nematocysts into your body. The venom affects your skin and can also enter your bloodstream.

Depending on the type of jellyfish and how much of your skin touches the venom, the sting can cause pain or other serious health problems. Some jellyfish stings can be life-threatening. It’s important to get medical help if you have severe symptoms after a jellyfish sting.

Diagnosis and Tests

How are jellyfish stings diagnosed?

Most jellyfish stings don’t require medical care from your healthcare provider. If you do seek treatment, your healthcare provider will probably be able to diagnose a jellyfish sting by looking at it. You may still have stingers in your injury. If so, your healthcare provider may collect a sample of the stingers to determine the appropriate treatment.

Management and Treatment

How is a jellyfish sting treated?

Most people don’t need to see their healthcare provider for a jellyfish sting. Depending on the type of jellyfish, you can administer first aid for most stings. You can treat mild jellyfish stings using the following steps:

Wash the tentacles and venom off the affected area of your body with seawater. Don’t use freshwater.
Using tweezers or gloved hands, remove any tentacles you see in your skin.
Apply vinegar or rubbing alcohol to the affected area to stop any more firings of nematocysts. (You shouldn’t use vinegar for Portuguese man-of-war stings, though. It can cause more venom to be released from the nematocysts.)
To help reduce the pain, you can put calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream on a jellyfish sting. You can also use an ice pack or hot water to help with the pain and swelling.

If you seek medical care, your healthcare provider may treat more serious jellyfish stings with medication. Medications your healthcare provider may use include:

Pain relievers: Pain relievers can help reduce your pain.
Antivenin: Antivenin can help reverse the effects of the venom.
Antihistamines: Antihistamines can help reduce itching and rash.

Does peeing on a jellyfish sting help?

No. You shouldn’t pee on a jellyfish sting. This old wives’ tale for how to cure a jellyfish sting has been around for a long time. The myth goes that if you apply urine to a jellyfish sting, you’ll counteract the venom. But no scientific studies back up this claim. In fact, peeing on a jellyfish sting could actually make the sting hurt worse.

Prevention

How can I prevent a jellyfish sting?

A jellyfish can sting you anytime they’re in or near the ocean, like on the beach. To reduce your risk of being stung:

Ask lifeguards or park rangers if any jellyfish are present around your beach. (Some beaches post a warning flag when jellyfish are reported.)
If you surf or dive in the ocean, wear a protective bodysuit.
Never touch a jellyfish that’s washed up on shore. Dead jellyfish still have venom in their tentacles that can sting on contact.

Outlook / Prognosis

How long does a jellyfish sting last?

Most jellyfish stings improve within a few hours. But some jellyfish stings can lead to rashes that can last for weeks. Once the rash goes away, you may be left with a permanent scar from the jellyfish sting. Contact your healthcare provider if the sting site continues to itch after a few weeks.

What is the outlook for a jellyfish sting?

The prognosis for a jellyfish sting depends on the type of jellyfish. Stings from some jellyfish cause only minor itching and pain. But some box jellyfish stings can kill you within a matter of minutes. Other box jellyfish stings can cause a fatal reaction four to 48 hours after a sting due to Irukandji syndrome. Irukandji syndrome is a delayed reaction to a sting.

Living With

When should I see my healthcare provider about a jellyfish sting?

If you’re been stung by a box jellyfish, it’s important to carefully monitor your symptoms for hours after the sting. Seek medical attention right away for any severe symptoms. This includes breathing difficulties, chest or abdominal pains, or profuse sweating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all jellyfish sting?

All jellyfish have tentacles, but they don’t all have powerful stinging nematocysts. For example, moon jellyfish live in all of the world’s oceans. Moon jellyfish don’t have long, poisonous tentacles. They have hundreds of short, fine tentacles. While the moon jellyfish will sting if you brush against it, the sting is usually mild and you’ll probably only have a slight reaction to it.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

There are thousands of species of jellyfish in the oceans around the world. Jellyfish don’t mean to sting humans. But they can sting you when you brush up against them while swimming or walking along the beach. Most jellyfish stings are harmless. But some jellyfish stings can cause serious harm. If you, or someone you’re with, are stung, get help right away. If you’re experiencing life-threatening symptoms such as difficulty breathing, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Jellyfish Sting: Symptoms & Treatment

Overview

What is a jellyfish sting?

How do jellyfish sting?

Jellyfish don’t intentionally mean to sting humans. But if you brush by one or accidentally step on one, it stings you to protect itself.

Moreover, nematocysts can fire their venom even when they’re unattached from the jellyfish. They can also fire their venom if the jellyfish is dead.

How common are jellyfish stings?

As many as 150 million jellyfish stings occur around the world each year.

How does a jellyfish sting affect my body?

Type of jellyfish.
Your age, health and body weight.
Where on your body you were stung.
The surface area of your exposed skin.
How long the venom has been in your body.

What types of jellyfish can cause serious harm?

Box

Lion’s mane

Sea nettle

Portuguese man-of-war

Symptoms and Causes

Symptoms of a jellyfish sting depend on the type of jellyfish you made contact with.

What are the symptoms of a jellyfish sting?

More serious jellyfish stings can cause greater harm. You should seek medical help right away if you have more severe symptoms. These symptoms may include:

Difficulty breathing.
Chest pain.
Muscle cramps.
Skin blisters.
Numbness or tingling.
Nausea or vomiting.
Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
Abdominal pain.
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).

What causes a jellyfish sting?

Diagnosis and Tests

How are jellyfish stings diagnosed?

Management and Treatment

How is a jellyfish sting treated?

Wash the tentacles and venom off the affected area of your body with seawater. Don’t use freshwater.
Using tweezers or gloved hands, remove any tentacles you see in your skin.
Apply vinegar or rubbing alcohol to the affected area to stop any more firings of nematocysts. (You shouldn’t use vinegar for Portuguese man-of-war stings, though. It can cause more venom to be released from the nematocysts.)
To help reduce the pain, you can put calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream on a jellyfish sting. You can also use an ice pack or hot water to help with the pain and swelling.

If you seek medical care, your healthcare provider may treat more serious jellyfish stings with medication. Medications your healthcare provider may use include:

Pain relievers: Pain relievers can help reduce your pain.
Antivenin: Antivenin can help reverse the effects of the venom.
Antihistamines: Antihistamines can help reduce itching and rash.

Does peeing on a jellyfish sting help?

Prevention

How can I prevent a jellyfish sting?

A jellyfish can sting you anytime they’re in or near the ocean, like on the beach. To reduce your risk of being stung:

Ask lifeguards or park rangers if any jellyfish are present around your beach. (Some beaches post a warning flag when jellyfish are reported.)
If you surf or dive in the ocean, wear a protective bodysuit.
Never touch a jellyfish that’s washed up on shore. Dead jellyfish still have venom in their tentacles that can sting on contact.

Outlook / Prognosis

How long does a jellyfish sting last?

What is the outlook for a jellyfish sting?

Living With

When should I see my healthcare provider about a jellyfish sting?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all jellyfish sting?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Jellyfish sting: symptoms, consequences, first aid

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Jellyfish Sting: First Aid

- Where is the summer? we ask every day.

- Wait! - the Hydrometeorological Center answers us every day.

But August is coming to an end and many, not wanting to wait, go straight to the sea, the sun and warmth... can become a subject of discussion among friends. Not every holiday romance is able to leave such vivid impressions!

Jellyfish are one of the most unusual and ancient creatures on earth. They have lived on Earth for about 600 million years, and their appearance has not changed much during this time. As before, jellyfish are 98% water.

In general, the word "jellyfish" was first used by K. Linnaeus. In 1752 he drew attention to how similar these animals are to the descriptions of the head of the representative of Greek mythology, the Gorgon Medusa. Since then, these “cute” creatures have become known as jellyfish.

Jellyfish can be simply huge: over 2 meters in diameter, and the length of the tentacles can reach 40 meters!

Box jellyfish - Australian wasp

The most poisonous of all known jellyfish is the “Australian wasp”, it can kill 60 people at the same time. This deadly jellyfish lives in the waters of Australia and Indonesia. Fortunately, most Russians are not in danger of meeting her.

For lovers of the coasts of the Thai Kingdom, there is a high chance to stumble upon the "Portuguese boat". Moreover, this is not one jellyfish, but a compact colony of individuals with a large number of translucent and completely invisible tentacles in the water, the length of which in the straightened state reaches 50 meters. "Portuguese Boat" is found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, less often in the Mediterranean Sea. According to its toxic effect, the impact of its goads can be compared with the bite of a poisonous snake.

And yet, most of us first saw jellyfish swimming in the Black Sea, visiting children's holiday camps, visiting camp sites or "savages" with their parents. There are three varieties of jellyfish in the Black Sea, each of which has its own characteristics. The most dangerous of the Black Sea jellyfish is the cornerot, which is also called the “Blue Jellyfish” for its unusual appearance.

Cornerot - blue jellyfish

He first paralyzes the fish with poison, and then calmly eats them. This is the most dangerous jellyfish in the Black Sea. From her burn, swelling and red stripes appear on her skin. The remaining two species: "Aurelia" and "Mnemiopsis" do not pose a serious danger to humans, although we most often meet them in the midst of the Black Sea swimming season.

What to do if bitten by a snake?

read

How does jellyfish venom work?

The jellyfish has special nematocyte cells, inside of which there is a capsule, and in it a hollow thread twisted in the form of a spiral. When a jellyfish touches a prey, the coil shoots like a harpoon, attaches to the skin and injects a nerve agent into the body through it. Upon contact with the tentacles, it is highly likely that cells containing poison may remain on the skin, which continues to act even after contact with the jellyfish has ceased.

Depending on the species you encountered at the resort and the size of the jellyfish, the burn may manifest itself in different ways. Sometimes symptoms appear within about an hour after the lesion, sometimes within minutes.

The first thing that appears are uneven spots, stripes, the color of which can be either pale pink or intense red.
Injured areas of the skin become hot to the touch.
Then a rash or fluid-filled blisters appear.

Usually everyone is startled by the rapidly developing swelling of the soft tissues, almost a horror movie in reality.
At the same time, the skin reacts to contact with a jellyfish with a growing sensation of burning and itching, then severe pain appears and the general condition worsens: nausea, vomiting, dizziness (sometimes up to loss of spatial orientation), headache. Sweating intensifies, ripples in the eyes. There is a feeling of shortness of breath, fear of death.

What to do if stung by a jellyfish?

Get out of the water immediately, especially if you are swimming far from the shore, in deep water.
Once on land, you need to take a good look at yourself: if there are sections of jellyfish filaments or fragments of tentacles, you should try to wash them off with sea water or scrape them off with improvised means - in no case with your bare hands, otherwise they will continue to affect you.
Do not use fresh water, otherwise the remnants of the tentacles will release toxins again, causing a second burn. To clean the skin, you can use any mechanical means (from bank credit cards and razors to napkins and cotton swabs). You can significantly reduce the pain of a jellyfish burn if cold objects are applied to the affected area.

Jellyfish burn on the arm

When the first shock passes, the question arises of how to treat the burns.

How to treat the burn area

Many people recommend vinegar, weak alcohol, some even urine. Let's take a look at the last two options.

But vinegar, usually apple, was previously recommended by all medical luminaries, since vinegar really neutralizes the poison of jellyfish, but as it turned out, not all types, because. Their poison is varied: some contain more acid, others alkali.
Therefore, if you have vinegar in your hands and you do not know which jellyfish met you, start treatment with a small area of the affected skin. If the pain has intensified - stop, if the pain and itching have receded, then it means that you did everything right.

Of course, when the skin is damaged by a jellyfish, inflammation can develop, especially in hot countries where you can’t find the Levomekol ointment we know in pharmacies, but it’s very possible to purchase proven antiseptics, such as Prontosan or Octenisept. A small spray bottle of Octenisept 50ml can be taken with you on a trip as a universal antiseptic.

Immediately after treating the skin, start drinking plain fresh water in large quantities - it will gradually remove toxins and weaken their effect. And antihistamines will help reduce itching.

When the jellyfish-affected skin begins to recover, the use of creams with a calming and healing effect will help. For example, Tamu-Tamu Children's cream with tamanu oil relieves local inflammation, soothes and softens the skin, and improves regeneration. Grab a jar of this cream 10g on vacation and it will help you out more than once!

How to use Prontosan correctly.

read

What absolutely can not be done with a jellyfish sting?

Rubbing and itching, even if itching seems unbearable.
Lubricate the damaged surface with creams, oils or lotions in the first hours after injury.
Irrigate the inflamed area with iodine and brilliant green and other alcohol-containing products.

DO NOT!

And advice to parents: do not set a bad example for children. Do not offer them to touch the jellyfish, even if it has already died or just washed ashore - it happens that even in this state, its tentacles are still able to sting. Explain that despite their unusual appearance, the jellyfish is a dangerous marine predator that can be very unpleasant to meet.

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Borisov Valery Sergeevich

Surgeon-combustiologist, candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher.

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Author:

Borisov Valeriy Sergeevich. Surgeon-combustiologist, candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher

first aid and advice from doctors

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How to help a person stung by a jellyfish

Jellyfish will not specifically hunt for bathers. They are not interested in humans as prey. Jellyfish eat algae, plankton, fish eggs, and the like. But they will regard a tourist swimming nearby as a danger and will defend themselves.

In recent years, the number of jellyfish on Russian coasts has only increased.
Photo: pexels.com

Moreover, their bayonets on tentacles pierce the skin with incredible speed and immediately inject poison. Therefore, if you hit a jellyfish and it didn’t sting you, you are lucky. If this still happened, you need to do the following:

Step 1. Remove the remains of the tentacles

“If you are stung by a jellyfish, the first thing you need to do is get out of the water as soon as possible. The task is to get rid of the remnants of poisonous tentacles on the skin. It is best to scrape them off, for example, with the blunt side of a knife,” says a dermatologist, an expert in medical practice at the Initiator platform Regina Shaydullina.

Do not touch the burn area with your bare hands - you will get into the poison with your fingers, and then you can bring it to your face. Human mucous membranes - eyes, ears, genitals - are most susceptible to toxins. The bite site will itch, but you can’t scratch it: this way the affected area will become even larger.

Step 2: Wash the sting

Use saline solution - half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. In extreme cases, you can collect sea water. Salt will help neutralize the poison of the jellyfish and relieve pain.

If the area hurts and itches, apply an ice pack. Just before that, wrap it with a cloth so as not to get frostbite.

Step 3. Provide first aid

“It is important to drink plenty of fluids - water removes poison from the body. Take an antihistamine - it will relieve swelling, stop an allergic reaction. It is advisable to promptly contact the nearest medical center, where they can objectively assess the degree of damage and provide qualified assistance. The stings of some types of jellyfish can lead to serious complications and allergic reactions,” says doctor Regina Shaidullina .

How not to get burned in the sun: Dr. Myasnikov's advice

It often happens that, having reached the long-awaited beaches, people out of habit get sunburned on the very first day. This turns into a health problem, not to mention ruining a further vacation. The chief doctor of the Moscow Clinical Hospital No. 71 named after M.E. told about how to take care of health on vacation. Zhadkevich Alexander Myasnikov.

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FAQ

1. What should you not do if you are stung by a jellyfish?

Folk medicine names vinegar, citric acid and even urine among the remedies for jellyfish toxins. In theory, acids do break down poison. The problem is that jellyfish toxins differ in composition and vinegar may simply not work. “In turn, acids, as rather aggressive chemicals, can aggravate the resulting burn and also cause an allergic reaction,” says the dermatologist.

2. Can I clean the burn area with fresh water?

Fresh water on the burn site is contraindicated if jellyfish stung.

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