CLINICAL EVIDENCES INDICATING ENVENOMING IN INJURIES CAUSED FOR FRESHWATER AND MARINE FISH: WHEN IS VALID TO SEARCH

HADDAD JR, V (1,2)

(1) Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil; (2) Hospital Vital Brazil – Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil.

Venomous marine and freshwater fish are capable of to provoke serious injuries in humans. The main signs and symptoms associated to envenoming are local edema, erythema and intense pain, with possibility of development of vesiles, blisters and cutaneous necrosis. Systemic manifestations as fever, malaise, cold sweating, cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory failure can be observed in those accidents (they are observed mainly in accidents caused by Scorpaenidae and stingrays). When there is a wound in a ray of fin or other acute structure of one fish, there will be a moderate inflammation, caused by crinotoxins and occasionally for bacterial action. The persistence of the inflammation and the onset of very important pain and necrosis should alert the clinical for envenomation.  The pain that is not proportional to the wound and this fact must be the great acknowledgment of that the injury can be associated to an envenoming. The research of the toxins in these fish generally is positive and it can bring new sources of studies for the treatment and identification of substances of pharmacological potential.

KEY WORDS: venomous animals, aquatic animals, venomous fish, cnidarians, injuries in humans.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: none.

CORRESPONDENCE TO: Vidal Haddad Junior

Caixa Postal 557 - 18618-000 – Botucatu – SP – Brasil, Email: haddadjr@fmb.unesp.br