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Marine Vertebrates, Cnidarians and Mollusks

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Critical Care Toxicology

Abstract

Jellyfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria (Greek derived from ‘nettle’) and are mostly free-swimming marine animals that may have an umbrella-shaped bell with varying length tentacles. The pulsations of the bell are relied on as their mode of locomotion, while the tentacles are typically used for capturing prey. Jellyfish have a worldwide distribution, occupying every ocean and some freshwater lakes. The phylum is comprised of several distinct life forms and four important classes of jellyfish: Cubozoa, Hydroza, Anthozoa, and Scyphozoa. The defining feature of Cnidaria is the cnidocyte, and the tentacles of most jellyfish are lined with thousands of them (Figs. 1 and 2). Each cnidocyte contains a harpoon-like organelle known as a cnida or cnidocyst. On the external surface of the cnidocyte is a cnidocil which, when activated by pressure, osmotic, or chemical changes, acts like a trigger, releasing the previously coiled harpoon. Once forcefully expelled, a process that takes microseconds, the harpoon is capable of penetrating human tissue. Venom is forced out of the cnidocyte under pressure through the epidermis and upper dermis and, particularly if dermal capillaries are inoculated directly, can enter the systemic circulation. It is sometimes stated that these may be inadvertently accelerated by the rubbing or shaking of a startled human victim, but there is no reliable evidence that this actually occurs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    L. Keith French & B. Zane Horowitz

Authors
  1. L. Keith French
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  2. B. Zane Horowitz
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Correspondence to L. Keith French .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Toxicology Associates, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Jeffrey Brent

  2. Office of New Drugs Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

    Keith Burkhart

  3. Clinical Toxicology, St Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Paul Dargan

  4. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Toxicology Associates, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Benjamin Hatten

  5. Med & Toxicological Intensive Care Unit, Lariboisière Hospital Paris-Diderot University, Paris, France

    Bruno Megarbane

  6. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Toxicology Associates, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Robert Palmer

Grading System for Levels of Evidence Supporting Recommendations in Critical Care Toxicology, 2nd Edition

  1. I

    Evidence obtained from at least one properly randomized controlled trial.

  2. II-1

    Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.

  3. II-2

    Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies, preferably from more than one center or research group.

  4. II-3

    Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention. Dramatic results in uncontrolled experiments (such as the results of the introduction of penicillin treatment in the 1940s) could also be regarded as this type of evidence.

  5. III

    Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies and case reports, or reports of expert committees.

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French, L.K., Horowitz, B.Z. (2016). Marine Vertebrates, Cnidarians and Mollusks. In: Brent, J., Burkhart, K., Dargan, P., Hatten, B., Megarbane, B., Palmer, R. (eds) Critical Care Toxicology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_148-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_148-2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20790-2

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  1. Latest

    Marine Vertebrates, Cnidarians and Mollusks
    Published:
    28 September 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_148-2

  2. Original

    Marine Vertebrates, Cnidarians and Mollusks
    Published:
    11 May 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20790-2_148-1

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