• DOI:10.1007/978-94-010-0722-1
• Corpus ID: 27615539

Jellyfish Blooms: Ecological and Societal Importance

@inproceedings{Purcell2001JellyfishBE,
  title={Jellyfish Blooms: Ecological and Societal Importance},
  author={Jennifer E. Purcell and William M. Graham and Henri J. Dumont},
  booktitle={Developments in Hydrobiology},
  year={2001}
}

• J. Purcell, W. Graham, H. Dumont
• Published in Developments in Hydrobiology 2001
• Medicine

With larger human population numbers and their need for recreation, contact between humans and jellyfish is increasing. The pathogenesis of cnidarian stings is discussed here and some of the factors influencing the variability in adverse reactions they produce are mentioned. The pharmakinetics of venom delivery determines the organ site of damage and the extent of abnormality. Since venoms can injure man by allergic or toxic reactions, the differences between these processes is elucidated. Toxic reactions predominate and allergic ones are unusual. A more complete list of disease entities caused by jellyfish stings has been compiled. These sting reactions may be local, systemic, chronic or fatal. Most follow cutaneous stinging but some occur after stings to the eye or following ingestion. Increased case loads and experience has also lead to a more comprehensive understanding of sting pathogenesis and treatment. Accordingly, the principles of prevention and first aid therapy are outlined. Finally, some recommendations for more complete recording of adverse stings are suggested. The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of marine biologists about the medical aspects of jellyfish stingings by: (I) stressing the importance of pathogenesis including the process of envenomation, the pharmokinetics of the stinging, the role of allergy and toxicity in the disease state, and the importance of prior exposure to other animal venoms, (II) suggesting a scheme for adequate history taking and case recording, (III) cataloguing the jellyfish envenomation syndromes, and (IV) outlining the best therapeutic and prevention techniques. Pathogenesis of envenomation Process of envenomation Jellyfish are pelagic cnidarians found worldwide. Some have a stinging apparatus injurious to humans. Many species are cited as nuisances or health hazards and can appear individually or in swarms. Each species has a distinctive armamentarium of cnidocytes, cells with cytoplasmic nematocysts containing a coiled, toxin-delivering tubule (Halstead, 1965). These cnidocytes are arranged in clustered batteries along the surfaces of the tentacles. In some jellyfish, the nematocysts are located in the outermost layer when in the 'fire ready' position or are withdrawn by a fibrillar network to an unexposed position (Rifkin & Endean, 1988). Nematocyst firing is triggered by combined chemical and tactile stimuli produced by the victim. The movement of nearby prey is an important factor in controlling jellyfish nematocyst discharge (Watson & Hessinger, 1989). Discharge of the nematocyst into human tissues involves the eversion of the tubule into our epidermis and its subjacent vascular and nerve-rich dermis. Pharmacokinetics of the sting Along their trajectory into the tissue, the nematocyst threads cross the epidermis, penetrate the dermis and enter, transfix or penetrate lymphatics, nerves and capillaries. Venom present on the outside of the thread is deposited in all these areas of skin. Thus, some venom has been injected intraepidermally, intradermally, intravascularly and probably in some cases subcutaneously. Each of these injection routes