How can jellyfish sting

Photo by Casper Tybjerg. Splashing and jumping, dunking your head beneath the waves, you start to cool off. Then you feel something soft brush against your leg—and suddenly, the coolness is replaced by a hot, shooting pain. But what do you do now? Jellyfish have special cells along their tentacles called cnidocytes. Within these cells are harpoon-like structures full of venom, called nematocysts. The nematocysts shoot out when triggered by touch and can penetrate human skin in less time than it takes you to blink.

The sting of this particular species of box jelly is not typically fatal, but the highly toxic venom is still extremely painful. Photo by Ned DeLoach. Once the venom is injected into your skin, the pain, redness and blistering begin. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Tintinalli JE, et al. Marine trauma and envenomation. New York, N. Accessed June 5, Cegolon L, et al.

Jellyfish stings and their management: A review. Marine Drugs. Purcell JE. Jellyfish in Chesapeake Bay and nearby waters. Li L, et al. Interventions for the symptoms and signs resulting from jellyfish stings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Ward NT, et al. Evidence-based treatment of jellyfish stings in North America and Hawaii.

Annals of Emergency Medicine. Auerbach PS. In reply to evidence-based treatment of jellyfish stings in North America and Hawaii. So can pieces of tentacles floating in the water. They can release venom for up to 2 weeks. Vinegar is used to stop the venom in stingers. Caution: Do not use ammonia, urine, rubbing alcohol, fresh water or ice.

They all can trigger the release of more venom. If you don't have vinegar, move on to scraping off the stingers. Mainly do not go in the water where jellies are seen. Wearing a thin layer of clothing such as pantyhose also can protect you.

Reason: The stingers are short and cannot puncture clothing. Special "stinger suits" can be bought in diving stores. Cause of Sting Reactions The long tentacles have thousands of stingers. When a stinger is touched, it pierces the skin and injects venom. The venom is what causes all the symptoms. Symptoms are raised, red lines that cross each other. The sting causes pain or burning at the site. Sometimes hives in the sting area occur. Blisters can occur in severe cases.

Severe pain lasts hours. Itch may last for a week. If the skin damage is severe, red or purple lines can last for weeks. General Reactions can occur if there are many stings.