VAPAGuide - Table 3.1 More precise identification of the cause in accidents with venomous animals in water

Table 3.1 More precise identification of the cause in accidents with venomous animals in water

		Distribution		Characteristics	Venom effects	Biomedical database Diagnosis & Treatment
		Fresh water	Marine environment	Characteristics	Venom effects	Biomedical database Diagnosis & Treatment
Injury due to extensive contact/abrasion
	Hard consistency Stony corals Fire corals		tropical and subtropical reef areas	sessile; often extend over large areas; stable calcium carbonate skeleton; highly variable growth forms, from flat to highly branched	generally only local	Biomedical database, Diagnosis & Treatment
	Spongious/elastic consistency Sponges		medically significant species in the coastal waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific	sessile, solitary or in colonies; variable growth forms, flat, barrel-, pipe- and cup-shaped forms; porous surface	generally only local	Biomedical database
	Feather hydroids		tropical to cool coastal zones	sessile; feather-like form; flexible, chitin-like supporting skeleton	generally only local	Biomedical database, Diagnosis & Treatment
	Soft or gelatinous consistency Jellyfish		tropical to cold seas and oceans	free-swimming, in areas close to the coast or in the open sea; no supporting skeleton; many colourless, transparent species; consist of a bell and attached tentacles that may be up to several meters in length	often only local effects, but some species cause severe systemic effects	Biomedical database, Diagnosis & Treatment
	Anemones		tropical to cold coastal areas; often in the intertidal zone	flower-like animals with no supporting skeleton; consist of a sessile pedal disk (foot) with a crown of tentacles on top	generally only local	Biomedical database, Diagnosis & Treatment
	Marine worms Bristle worms		tropical to warm oceans	elongated, segmented body; fine bristles along the sides of the body; largest specimens 1–3 m	generally only local	Biomedical database
Injury due to puncture wound/bite
	Barely noticeable wounds/bites Cone shells		primarily tropical coastal areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans	marine snails with shells in the form of a rolled cone; shells often have striking patterns; largest species up to 15 cm; can be dangerous if handled (they are sought after by collectors); sting barely noticeable	hardly any local effects; can be severe systemic effects	Biomedical database
	Octopuses, in particular: Blue-ringed octopus		generally in tropical to cold seas and oceans; Blue-ringed octopus in coastal waters of Australia	typical octopus form with a "head" and 8 arms; brownish colour with luminous blue rings	Blue-ringed octopus: hardly any local effects, but severe systemic effects; other species: generally only local	Biomedical database
	Sea snakes	river mouths and further upstream; Indo-Pacific region; in Lake Taal, Philippines, and Lake Tegano, Solomon Islands	coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, from the Persian Gulf eastwards to Japan and southwards to Australia; one species in the open sea as well as on the east coast of Africa and the west coast of Central America	differ from snake-like fishes in that they have no fins or gills; in contrast to terrestrial snakes they have a laterally flattened tail; most common in the shallow coastal waters of Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia; bite marks often barely visible	hardly any local effects, but severe systemic effects	Biomedical database Diagnosis & Treatment
	Painful puncture wounds Numerous small injuries Sea urchins and starfish (Crown-of-thorns starfish)		venomous sea urchins in tropical and warm zones of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; Crown-of-thorns starfish in coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific	bottom-dwelling; venomous sea urchins among both long- and short-spined species; following injuries with long-spined species broken-off spine tips may remain under the skin; Crown-of-thorns starfish covered in massive spines; animals have a diameter of up to 40 cm; large puncture wounds	generally only local, but sometimes also systemic effects	Sea urchins, Crown-of-thorns starfish
	Single puncture wounds Fish	Catfishes throughout the world in rivers and lakes stingrays in rivers in South America	tropical to cold seas and oceans; greatest variety of dangerous species in tropical coastal waters	many bottom-dwelling species, which sometimes bury themselves or hide in crevices and often have camouflage colouring; some species also in the intertidal zone; accidents occur not only in the water, but also while fishing or preparing the fish	often only local effects, but some species also cause systemic effects	Biomedical database Diagnosis & Treatment