The Geographic Distribution, Venom Components, Pathology and Treatments of Stonefish (Synanceia spp.) Venom.

Stonefish are regarded as one of the most venomous fish in the world. Research on stonefish venom has chiefly focused on the in vitro and in vivo neurological, cardiovascular, cytotoxic and nociceptive effects of the venom. The last literature review on stonefish venom was published over a decade ago, and much has changed in the field since. In this review, we have generated a global map of the current distribution of all stonefish (Synanceia) species, presented a table of clinical case reports and provided up-to-date information about the development of polyspecific stonefish antivenom. We have also presented an overview of recent advancements in the biomolecular composition of stonefish venom, including the analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data from Synanceia horrida venom gland. Moreover, this review highlights the need for further research on the composition and properties of stonefish venom, which may reveal novel molecules for drug discovery, development or other novel physiological uses.

Environmental and Ecological Effects of Climate Change on Venomous Marine and Amphibious Species in the Wilderness.

INTRODUCTION: Recent analyses of data show a warming trend in global average air and sea surface ocean temperatures. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, the sea level has risen, and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased. This article will focus on climate change and projected effects on venomous marine and amphibious creatures with the potential impact on human health. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of environmental, ecological, and medical literature with a focus on climate change, toxinology, and future modeling specific to venomous aquatic and amphibious creatures. Species included venomous jellyfish, poisonous fish, crown-of-thorns starfish, sea snakes, and toxic frogs. RESULTS: In several projected scenarios, rising temperatures, weather extremes, and shifts in seasons will increase poisonous population numbers, particularly with certain marine creatures like jellyfish and crown-of-thorns starfish. Habitat expansions by lionfish and sea snakes are projected to occur. These phenomena, along with increases in human populations and coastal development will likely increase human-animal encounters. Other species, particularly amphibious toxic frogs, are declining rapidly due to their sensitivity to any temperature change or subtle alterations in the stability of their environment. If temperatures continue to rise to record levels over the next decades, it is predicted that the populations of these once plentiful and critically important animals to the aquatic ecosystem will decline and their geographic distributions will shrink. CONCLUSION: Review of the literature investigating the effect and forecasts of climate change on venomous marine and amphibious creatures has demonstrated that temperature extremes and changes to climatic norms will likely have a dramatic effect on these toxicological organisms. The effects of climate change on these species through temperature alteration and rising coastal waters will influence each species differently and in turn potentially affect commercial industries, travel, tourism, and human health.

Tetrodotoxin poisoning outbreak from imported dried puffer fish--Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2014.

On June 13, 2014, two patients went to the Hennepin County Medical Center Emergency Department in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with symptoms suggestive of tetrodotoxin poisoning (i.e., oral paresthesias, weakness, and dyspnea) after consuming dried puffer fish (also known as globefish) purchased during a recent visit to New York City. The patients said two friends who consumed the same fish had similar, although less pronounced, symptoms and had not sought care. The Minnesota Department of Health conducted an investigation to determine the source of the product and samples were sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition for chemical and genetic analysis. Genetic analysis identified the product as puffer fish (Lagocephalus lunaris) and chemical analysis determined it was contaminated with high levels of tetrodotoxin. A traceback investigation was unable to determine the original source of the product. Tetrodotoxin is a deadly, potent poison; the minimum lethal dose in an adult human is estimated to be 2-3 mg. Tetrodotoxin is a heat-stable and acid-stable, nonprotein, alkaloid toxin found in many species of the fish family Tetraodontidae (puffer fish) as well as in certain gobies, amphibians, invertebrates, and the blue-ringed octopus. Tetrodotoxin exerts its effects by blocking voltage-activated sodium channels, terminating nerve conduction and muscle action potentials, leading to progressive paralysis and, in extreme cases, to death from respiratory failure. Because these fish were reportedly purchased in the United States, they pose a substantial U.S. public health hazard given the potency of the toxin and the high levels of toxin found in the fish.

Invasive Lionfish (Pterosis volitans) Pose Public Health Threats.

The lionfish, Pterosis volitans, a native of Indo-Pacific oceans, is a popular saltwater aquarium fish despite venomous spines on its fins. Lionfish were inadvertently introduced into the western Atlantic from Florida in the early 1990s and have overpopulated and dispersed widely into the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Initiatives to control lionfish populations were launched, including the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-sponsored "Lionfish as Food Campaign".2 Recently, scientists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that lionfish caught off the US Virgin Islands contained ciguatoxins and could cause ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP); a seafood-borne poisoning without an antidote or any specific treatment, and a potential for prolonged neurotoxicity. Lionfish pose several public health threats. New strategies to control the lionfish population explosion in coastal waters and offshore fisheries are needed now to ensure seafood safety and public health. The lionfish, Pterosis volitans, is native to the reefs of the western Indian and Pacific Oceans (Figure 1). Brightly colored with red, white, and black stripes and adorned with feathery fins, the lionfish is a popular saltwater aquarium fish despite venomous spines on its fins (Figure 2). Lionfish were introduced into the western North Atlantic from Florida in the early 1990s after some specimens were discarded by dissatisfied amateur aquarists and others escaped from hurricane-flooded public aquariums.1 Since lionfish are voracious carnivores, have few natural predators, and reproduce prolifically, they have overpopulated and dispersed widely from Cape Hatteras to Florida, throughout the Caribbean Sea, and into the Gulf of Mexico.1 The population density of lionfish in its new, invaded territory now exceeds that of its native habitat.1 As a result, campaigns to control lionfish populations were launched in Florida and the Caribbean. Lionfish now pose several public health threats that include (1) serving as the second most common cause of venomous fish puncture injuries next to stingrays; (2) interrupting the marine seafood chain on reef systems that support commercial fisheries; and (3) bioconcentrating heat-stable algal toxins capable of causing CFP.

Neurotoxicity in rats induced by the poisonous dreamfish (Sarpa salpa).

CONTEXT: Consumption of Sarpa salpa Linn. (Sparidae) in certain periods of the year is inadvisable because it can cause central nervous system disorders resulting in sea food poisoning. AIMS: The present study assesses the cytotoxic effects of compounds, not-yet identified, present in the organ extracts of S. salpa, collected in autumn, the period corresponding to the peak in human health problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The toxicity was assessed by mouse bioassay of aqueous extract of the fish organs. Wistar rats received daily extracts of different organs of S. salpa by gastric gavage for 7 d (0.3 mL of extract/100 g body weight BW). The dose of tissue extracts of viscera, liver, brain, and flesh of S. salpa administered to rats was as follows: 172, 313, 2050, and 2660 mg/kg BW, respectively. No deaths occurred during the period of treatment. RESULTS: The lethal dose (LD50) determined for the crude ciguatoxin (neurotoxins) extracts of viscera, liver, brain, and flesh of S. salpa was as follows: 1.2, 2.2, 14.4, and 18.6 g/kg mouse, respectively. Changes in locomotor activity during the first 2 h and failure in breathing and no evident signs of gastrointestinal problems were recorded. We observed (1) induction of oxidative stress, indicated by an increase in lipid peroxidation (TBARS) in groups that received extracts of liver (+425%) or viscera (+433%), and a significant decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GPx) in cerebral cortex tissue by 13%, 25%, and 25% (LT: animals receiving liver extracts) and by 16%, 26%, and 27% (VT: animals receiving viscera extracts), respectively. In contrast, the administration of extracts of flesh and brain induced an increase in antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GPx) in cerebral cortex tissue by 26%, 23%, and 44% (FT: flesh extract) and 28%, 24%, and 46% (BT: brain extract), respectively; (2) a significant decrease for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in cerebral cortex was recorded in FT, BT, LT, and VT by 27, 34, 58, and 78%, respectively. Moreover, a significant decrease of AChE activity in plasma was recorded in FT, BT, LT, and VT by 16, 21, 38, and 48%, respectively; (3) the histological findings confirmed the biochemical results. CONCLUSIONS: Liver and especially the visceral part of S. salpa presented toxicity, which clearly indicates the danger of using this fish as food.

[Problems caused by poisonous tropical marine animals]. / Myrkyllisten trooppisten mereneläivien aiheuttamat ongelmat.

A Finnish physician encounters problems caused by tropical marine animals either during her/his own travelling or while treating travelers who have returned home. Certain species of medusae and cone shells as well as the stings by some fish species are life-threateningly poisonous. A person stung or bitten by any of the most dangerous species must immediately be admitted to the hospital. Foreign material remaining in tissues after stings by echinoderms and spiky fish may cause problems months after the actual injury. The injuries become easily infected, and antimicrobial drug therapy must thus cover gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria as well.

Aquatic Antagonists: Scorpionfish Envenomation.

Scorpionfish are among the most venomous creatures found in American and Caribbean seas. Their envenomation is responsible for considerable morbidity and socioeconomic burden associated with marine animal injuries. Avoiding physical contact with scorpionfish through proper identification prevails as the chief prevention method for stings. This article discusses common features of scorpionfish as well as the clinical presentation and treatment options following exposure to its toxins.

Comparative sequence analysis of the human and pufferfish Huntington's disease genes.

The Huntington's disease (HD) gene encodes a novel protein with as yet no known function. In order to identify the functionally important domains of this protein, we have cloned and sequenced the homologue of the HD gene in the pufferfish, Fugu rubripes. The Fugu HD gene spans only 23 kb of genomic DNA, compared to the 170 kb human gene, and yet all 67 exons are conserved. The first coding exon, the site of the disease-causing triplet repeat, is highly conserved. However, the glutamine repeat in Fugu consists of just four residues. We also show that gene order may be conserved over longer stretches of the two genomes. Our work describes a detailed example of sequence comparison between human and Fugu, and illustrates the power of the pufferfish genome as a model system in the analysis of human genes.

Organization of the Fugu rubripes Hox clusters: evidence for continuing evolution of vertebrate Hox complexes.

The clustered organization of Hox genes provides a powerful opportunity to examine gene gain and loss in evolution because physical linkage is a key diagnostic feature which allows homology to be established unambiguously. Furthermore, Hox genes play a key role in determination of axial and appendicular skeletal morphology and may be a key component of the evolution of diverse metazoan body forms. Despite suggestions that changes in Hox gene number played a role in evolution of metazoan body plans, there has been a general lack of evidence for such variation amongst gnathostomes (or indeed any vertebrate) and it has therefore been widely assumed that differential regulation may be the key element in all vertebrate Hox evolution. We have studied the Hox gene clusters of a teleost fish, Fugu rubripes, to test the possibility that Hox organization may have varied since the origin of jawed vertebrates. We have identified four Hox complexes in Fugu and found an unprecedented degree of variation when compared with tetrapod clusters. Our data show that: Fugu clusters are widely variant with respect to length; at least nine genes have been lost; there is a new group-2 paralogue; and pseudo-gene remnants of group-1 and group-3 paralogues were found in the Hoxc complex, when compared with the present mammalian clusters. We show that gene loss after duplication of the prototypical vertebrate Hox clusters is a key feature of both tetrapod and fish evolution.

Inter-species variation in stonefish (Synanceia spp.) ichthyocrinotoxins; an ecological perspective.

Although stonefish (Synanceia spp.) are well-known to harbour a highly noxious defensive venom in their dorsal spines, very little is known about the composition and ecological function of the ichthyocrinotoxins that they secrete onto their epidermis. This study profiled reef (Synanceia verrucosa) and estuarine (Synanceia horrida) stonefish ichthyocrinotoxins via electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry to visualise and compare the composition of these toxins between the two species. Stonefish ichthyocrinotoxins were found to be multifarious concoctions that exhibited subtle differences between reef and estuarine species. We speculate that these variations and similarities are driven by the different and similar ecology of these fish species. Further research into the activity of the toxins components is now required to better understand their ecological role.

Stonefish (Synanceia spp.) Ichthyocrinotoxins: An ecological review and prospectus for future research and biodiscovery.

Marine organisms possess a diverse array of unique substances, many with wide ranging potential for applications in medicine, industry, and other sectors. Stonefish (Synanceia spp.), a bottom-dwelling fish that inhabit shallow and intertidal waters throughout the Indo-Pacific, harbour two distinct substances, a venom, and an ichthyocrinotoxin. Stonefish are well-known for the potent venom associated with their dorsal spines as it poses a significant risk to public health. Consequently, much of the research on stonefish focusses on the venom, with the aim of improving outcomes in cases of envenomation. However, there has been a notable lack of research on stonefish ichthyocrinotoxins, a class of toxin that is synthesised within specialised epithelial cells (i.e., tubercles) and exuded onto the skin. This has resulted in a substantial knowledge gap in our understanding of these animals. This review aims to bridge this gap by consolidating literature on the ecological functions and biochemical attributes of ichthyocrinotoxins present in various fish species and juxtaposing it with the current state of knowledge of stonefish ecology. We highlight the roles of ichthyocrinotoxins in predator defence, bolstering innate immunity, and mitigating integumentary interactions with parasites and detrimental fouling organisms. The objective of this review is to identify promising research avenues that could shed light on the ecological functions of stonefish ichthyocrinotoxins and their potential practical applications as therapeutics and/or industrial products.

Public authority responses to marine stinger public health risks: a scenario analysis of the Irukandji health threat in controlled spaces at public beaches in Australia.

This scenario analysis was undertaken to anticipate the likelihood of public authority liability for negligence arising from harm associated with the relatively new phenomenon of the Irukandji marine stinger health threat in Australia. The tort of negligence is about allocating liability for wrongs typically committed by one person or entity against another. The author questions whether a person who enters a marine stinger enclosure at one of Australia's patrolled and flagged beaches and suffers serious injury from an Irukandji sting can seek compensation or damages in negligence against government. It is argued that as the law currently stands, an injured bather without adequate warning could successfully sue a local authority for creating a false perception of safety and therefore inducing risky behaviour. Changes in ecology and climate variability are relevant considerations. This is a novel issue not previously dealt with in Australian courts.

Treating envenomation caused by fish sting.

The lesser weever fish is found around the coastline of the UK, particularly in the south and west of England. The spines on the fish's first dorsal fin and gill covers release a poison that can cause excruciating pain in anyone who stands on them. Emergency staff should be aware, therefore, of the symptoms of lesser weever fish stings in patients who present with severe pain in the foot. Immersion of the foot in hot water is the most effective treatment.

[Seafood poisonings. Part II. Fish poisonings]. / Zatrucia zywnoscia pochodzenia morskiego. Czesc II. Zatrucia rybami.

Fish plays a significant role in human life, mainly as part of a balanced healthy diet and a good source of many of nutrients. However, contact with fish may be harmful or even life-threatening to man. Toxic effects, that fish exerts toward men (ichthyotoxism), result from envenomations by poison. ous fish equipped in venom apparatus (ichthyoacanthotoxism), direct contact with venom produced by skin glandules (ichthyocrinotoxism), or consuming fish containing toxins for nutritional purposes (ichthyosarcotoxism). In the present review, different fish-borne food poisonings are presented including their etiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology and treatment. In fact, the majority of fish poisonings are intoxications with toxins primary produced by bacteria, cyanobacteria and algae. These are consumed and accumulated in the food chain by herbivorous and predatory fish, that in turn may be a cause of poisonings in humans.

Encounters with venomous sea-life.

BACKGROUND: Sea-life with envenomation capabilities are quite abundant and diverse worldwide, being predominantly found in tropical waters. Most envenomations occur not as an attack, but as a result of self defense when the animal perceives danger; and often when locals or tourists are engaged in recreational activities. Most of these cases have only minor injuries, and few are fatal. OBJECTIVES: To describe the impact, clinical features, and management of life-threatening marine envenomations. DISCUSSION: Recognition of the injury and identification of the responsible animal is crucial for quick and successful management. Medical professionals should be cognizant of presenting symptoms such as respiratory distress, muscle paralysis, or cardiovascular decompensation. For these patients, antivenom should be given immediately if available, followed by pharmacological and physical therapy to relieve symptoms and pain. If any foreign bodies are left at the site of the injury, they must be removed. Tetanus prophylaxis should also be considered in case of puncture, and if signs of early infection are present, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be administered. CONCLUSION: Management of envenomations from marine animals should be emphasized not only to health centers, but also to the general population, so that initial treatment can be started as soon as possible. Educational programs regarding risks and initial management for these incidents are also recommended to reduce the incidence and associated morbidity and mortality of the encounters.

Anti-Glioma Effect of Pseudosynanceia melanostigma Venom on Isolated Mitochondria from Glioblastoma Cells

Background: Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system that occurs in the spinal cord or brain. Pseudosynanceia melanostigma is a venomous stonefish in the Persian Gulf, which our knowledge about is little. This study's goal is to investigate the toxicity of stonefish crude venom on mitochondria isolated from U87 cells. Methods: In the first stage, we extracted venom stonefish and then isolated mitochondria have exposed to different concentrations of venom. Finally, mitochondrial toxicity parameters (Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, Reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytochrome c release, Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP), and mitochondrial swelling) have evaluated. Results: To determine mitochondrial parameters, we used 115, 230, and 460 µg/ml concentrations. The results of our study show that the venom of stonefish selectively increases upstream parameters of apoptosis such as mitochondrial swelling, cytochrome c release, MMP collapse and ROS. Conclusion: This study suggests that Pseudosynanceia melanostigma crude venom has selectively caused toxicity by increasing active mitochondrial oxygen radicals. This venom could potentially be a candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Surgical vacuum-assisted closure for treatment of dramatic case of stonefish envenomation.

Skin necrosis of the foot, oedema and lymphangitis from stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) sting are complications well known for a long time and with potential long-term sequelae. Literature reports of stonefish envenomation give no specific reference on soft tissue management and surgical reconstruction. This is the first report describing a case of foot stonefish envenomation treated by vacuum-assisted closure therapy as an easy to use, accessible and simple adjuvant tool for management of large soft tissue necrosis.

[Management of bluespotted stingray injuries in Djibouti from July 2008 to July 2009]. / Prise en charge des piqûres de raies pastenagues à Djibouti de juillet 2008 à juillet 2009.

Although stingray injuries have always been frequent in the Republic of Djibouti, it was not until July 2008 that the Bouffard Hospital developed a standardised management protocol. The purpose of this report is to describe that protocol and evaluate its impact on the outcome of stingray injuries based on a prospective study for the period between July 2008 and July 2009. During the study period, 12 stingray stings were treated. The treatment protocol that is based on a multidisciplinary approach involving the intensivist, anaesthesiologist, and surgeon achieved wound healing within one month. This outcome contrasts with previous publications that have generally described longer healing times with frequent infectious complications.