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Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) sting
Burns 30 (2004) 503–504
Letter to the Editor Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) sting Dear Sir, We read with interest the article by Silfen et al. [1] in the December 2003 issue of Burns. The authors describe their experience with Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) in two patients, merely a hint for a colossal problem. Each summer, since the mid-1980’s, huge swarms of the invading jellyfish, R. nomadica, have appeared along the Levantine coast. In 1995 the jellyfish was already recorded off the southeastern Levant coast. These massive swarms of voracious planktotrophs, some stretching 100 km long, must play havoc with the meager resources of this oligotrophic sea, and when the shoals draw nearer shore, they adversely affect tourism, fisheries and coastal installations. Local municipalities report a decrease in holiday makers frequenting the beaches because of the public’s concern over the painful stings inflicted by the jellyfish (Fig. 1). Coastal trawling and purse-seine fishing is disrupted for the duration of the swarming due to net clogging and inability to sort yield. Jellyfish-blocked water intake pipes pose a threat to cooling systems of port-bound vessels and coastal power plants: in the summer of 2001 alone Israel Electric removed tons of jellyfish from its seawater intake pipes at its two largest power plants. Yet, that same jellyfish, R. nomadica, known to shelter among its nematocyst-laden tentacles the juveniles of a Red Sea carangid fish, Alepes djeddaba, may have precipitated the sudden population increase of this commercially important fishery [2]. Back in 1990 Benmeir et al. [3] described in Burns (yet no credit has been given), thirty patients, mainly children, suffering various degrees of painful jellyfish stings to different parts of their body, seen in Soroka Medical Center Beer-Sheba, Israel during the summer of 1987. This paper indicates that Mediterranean Sea Aurelia aurita (also known as: Saucer Jelly, Moon Jelly, Common Sea Jelly) is venomous. Dr. Joseph W. Burnett of Baltimore, the editor of The Jellyfish Sting Newsletter (produced by the International Consortium for Jellyfish Stings ICJS, a non-profit organization formed by scientists and doctors interested in marine envenomation) [4], had written the authors for more details to determine whether there could have been any mistaken identification of the responsible jellyfish but the issue remain inconclusive. The cosmopolitan moon jelly—A. aurita, is characterized by high degrees of morphological and ecological plasticity, and subsequently by an unclear tax0305-4179/$30.00 © 2003 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.burns.2004.01.013
onomic status A. aurita, which is deemed to be an ecological generalist and occupy worldwide habitats of all but north polar oceans, do not sting humans [5]. The threadlike tentacles around the edge of the bell can sting, and may occasionally catch small swimming animals for food, but their stings—like minute harpoons fired by springs—are not powerful enough to pierce our thick skin. The moon jellyfishes—Aurelia stinging cells are weak and therefore not irritable to human skin—but can possibly cause discomfort on thin or sensitive skin, as well as the eyes and lips. Aurelia sting produces skin irritation in man, and thus, cannot be considered harmless even though the vast majority of its medusas in any given locality can be handled without fear [6]. A. aurita from the Caribbean produced obvious human skin dermotoxicity. Immediately after contact with the
Fig. 1. Two days after Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish sting. Note the strike signs appearing on right thigh.
504
Letter to the Editor / Burns 30 (2004) 503–504
nematocysts, the volunteer developed sharp local pain that lasted 30 min. About 3 min after the sting, intense itching was experienced and a sharply defined vesiculopapular, erythematous eruption appeared that lasted 10 days. It is now clear that A. aurita can be venomous to man and elicit local skin eruption. However, A. aurita in Mexican and eastern USA coastal waters is usually innocuous and children often play with it. North American Aurelia might have caused one case of painful envenomation [6,7]. In conclusion; the usual animal encountered is innocuous. Further experience with Aurelia worldwide is needed before we can definitely accept this species as a venomous animal, many aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of jellyfish envenoming remain controversial. Accurate reporting of unusual cases is thus of the utmost importance. References [1] Silfen R, Vilan A, Wohl I, Leviav A. Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) sting. Burns 2003;29:868–70. [2] Avian M, Spanier E, Galil B. Nematocysts of Rhopilema nomadica (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae), an immigrant jellyfish in the Eastern Mediterranean. J Morphol 1995;224:221–31.
[3] Benmeir P, Rosenberg L, Sagi A, Vardi D, Eldad A. Jellyfish envenomation: a summer epidemic. Burns 1990;16:471–2. [4] Burnett JW, International Consortium for Jellyfish Stings (ICJS); 16 January 1997 (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/departments/ dermatology/Jellynewslet/number16.htm#top). [5] Aquascope. Strömstad, Sweden: Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory (http://www.vattenkikaren.gu.se/defaulte.html). [6] Burnett JW, Calton GJ, Larsen JB. Significant envenomation by Aurelia aurita, the moon jellyfish. Toxicon 1988;26:215–7. [7] Segura-Puertas L, Avila-Soria G, Sánchez-Rodr´ıguez J, Ramos-Aguilar ME, Burnett JW. Some toxinological aspects of Aurelia aurita (Linne) from the Mexican Caribbean. J Venom Anim Toxins 2002;2:269–82.
Boris Yoffe Abraham M. Baruchin∗ Department of Surgery and Plastic Surgery Barzilai Medical Centre and the Faculty of Health Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 78306 Ashkelon, Israel ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +972-8-6739541 fax: +972-8-6739541 E-mail address: [email protected] (A.M. Baruchin)
Letter to the Editor Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) sting Dear Sir, We read with interest the article by Silfen et al. [1] in the December 2003 issue of Burns. The authors describe their experience with Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) in two patients, merely a hint for a colossal problem. Each summer, since the mid-1980’s, huge swarms of the invading jellyfish, R. nomadica, have appeared along the Levantine coast. In 1995 the jellyfish was already recorded off the southeastern Levant coast. These massive swarms of voracious planktotrophs, some stretching 100 km long, must play havoc with the meager resources of this oligotrophic sea, and when the shoals draw nearer shore, they adversely affect tourism, fisheries and coastal installations. Local municipalities report a decrease in holiday makers frequenting the beaches because of the public’s concern over the painful stings inflicted by the jellyfish (Fig. 1). Coastal trawling and purse-seine fishing is disrupted for the duration of the swarming due to net clogging and inability to sort yield. Jellyfish-blocked water intake pipes pose a threat to cooling systems of port-bound vessels and coastal power plants: in the summer of 2001 alone Israel Electric removed tons of jellyfish from its seawater intake pipes at its two largest power plants. Yet, that same jellyfish, R. nomadica, known to shelter among its nematocyst-laden tentacles the juveniles of a Red Sea carangid fish, Alepes djeddaba, may have precipitated the sudden population increase of this commercially important fishery [2]. Back in 1990 Benmeir et al. [3] described in Burns (yet no credit has been given), thirty patients, mainly children, suffering various degrees of painful jellyfish stings to different parts of their body, seen in Soroka Medical Center Beer-Sheba, Israel during the summer of 1987. This paper indicates that Mediterranean Sea Aurelia aurita (also known as: Saucer Jelly, Moon Jelly, Common Sea Jelly) is venomous. Dr. Joseph W. Burnett of Baltimore, the editor of The Jellyfish Sting Newsletter (produced by the International Consortium for Jellyfish Stings ICJS, a non-profit organization formed by scientists and doctors interested in marine envenomation) [4], had written the authors for more details to determine whether there could have been any mistaken identification of the responsible jellyfish but the issue remain inconclusive. The cosmopolitan moon jelly—A. aurita, is characterized by high degrees of morphological and ecological plasticity, and subsequently by an unclear tax0305-4179/$30.00 © 2003 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.burns.2004.01.013
onomic status A. aurita, which is deemed to be an ecological generalist and occupy worldwide habitats of all but north polar oceans, do not sting humans [5]. The threadlike tentacles around the edge of the bell can sting, and may occasionally catch small swimming animals for food, but their stings—like minute harpoons fired by springs—are not powerful enough to pierce our thick skin. The moon jellyfishes—Aurelia stinging cells are weak and therefore not irritable to human skin—but can possibly cause discomfort on thin or sensitive skin, as well as the eyes and lips. Aurelia sting produces skin irritation in man, and thus, cannot be considered harmless even though the vast majority of its medusas in any given locality can be handled without fear [6]. A. aurita from the Caribbean produced obvious human skin dermotoxicity. Immediately after contact with the
Fig. 1. Two days after Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish sting. Note the strike signs appearing on right thigh.
504
Letter to the Editor / Burns 30 (2004) 503–504
nematocysts, the volunteer developed sharp local pain that lasted 30 min. About 3 min after the sting, intense itching was experienced and a sharply defined vesiculopapular, erythematous eruption appeared that lasted 10 days. It is now clear that A. aurita can be venomous to man and elicit local skin eruption. However, A. aurita in Mexican and eastern USA coastal waters is usually innocuous and children often play with it. North American Aurelia might have caused one case of painful envenomation [6,7]. In conclusion; the usual animal encountered is innocuous. Further experience with Aurelia worldwide is needed before we can definitely accept this species as a venomous animal, many aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of jellyfish envenoming remain controversial. Accurate reporting of unusual cases is thus of the utmost importance. References [1] Silfen R, Vilan A, Wohl I, Leviav A. Mediterranean jellyfish (Rhopilema nomadica) sting. Burns 2003;29:868–70. [2] Avian M, Spanier E, Galil B. Nematocysts of Rhopilema nomadica (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae), an immigrant jellyfish in the Eastern Mediterranean. J Morphol 1995;224:221–31.
[3] Benmeir P, Rosenberg L, Sagi A, Vardi D, Eldad A. Jellyfish envenomation: a summer epidemic. Burns 1990;16:471–2. [4] Burnett JW, International Consortium for Jellyfish Stings (ICJS); 16 January 1997 (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/departments/ dermatology/Jellynewslet/number16.htm#top). [5] Aquascope. Strömstad, Sweden: Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory (http://www.vattenkikaren.gu.se/defaulte.html). [6] Burnett JW, Calton GJ, Larsen JB. Significant envenomation by Aurelia aurita, the moon jellyfish. Toxicon 1988;26:215–7. [7] Segura-Puertas L, Avila-Soria G, Sánchez-Rodr´ıguez J, Ramos-Aguilar ME, Burnett JW. Some toxinological aspects of Aurelia aurita (Linne) from the Mexican Caribbean. J Venom Anim Toxins 2002;2:269–82.
Boris Yoffe Abraham M. Baruchin∗ Department of Surgery and Plastic Surgery Barzilai Medical Centre and the Faculty of Health Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 78306 Ashkelon, Israel ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +972-8-6739541 fax: +972-8-6739541 E-mail address: [email protected] (A.M. Baruchin)