need some health wound info!!!!!!...anyone with info for a coral catfish sting

reefD

reefD

New member
ok this afternoon i was pricked by one of the dorsal barbs of this fish. i just did alot of research and found that i may be in trouble. I irrigated the area where i was pricked and cleaned well. in any case there is no pain currently after 5 hours. hopfully this is a good sign.
I was under the immpression that coral catfish are venemouse due to thier skin not thier fins but further research has frieghtened me.
currently no swelling
no allergic reactions
no pain
so hopfully im in the clear but i will keep a close eye on my finger and reasses in the am.
the barb didnt draw blood but did break the tissue and i felt that. almost like a splinter .
help any thoughts would make me feel better. again i feel fine currenly and my finger is not swollen at all 5 hours after getting stuck. should i get medical care asap?
 
thats what im thinking but dont want to get an infection days later and lose my finger! lol! actually not funny ive seen it! so as long as im not showing a reaction im ok? they are posionous right? all the info i read says they are! not just a possible alergic animal to humans
thanks for the info anemonebuff makes me feel ok for now.
 
I think it would be nice to check in with a doctor anyway. Your finger is definitely worth one phone call at least.
 
Yeah they are poisonous, but I don't think it's the dorsal part that's poisonous. Either way, if you have health insurance, it's better to play it safe than sorry.
 
yeah i think ill call my md tommarow morning . i have great health care as im a new york state employee. anyone think venom certainly was injected in me? and why am i fine?!
 
I would check with a physician as soon as possible. Plotosids have three VERY venomous spines--one on the dorsal and each pectoral fin. I believe the toxin is known as plototoxin, so you might want to search on that and let your doc know what he could potentially be dealing with. Not trying to scare you, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
 
Hmm. As far as I can tell, I believe any symptoms should be nearly immediate (painful sting, etc). You may not have even been envenomated. Just check anyway. Plototoxin is proteinaceous, so try soaking it in hot water just in case.
 
thanks so much amphiprion. thats what i have been doing as the research said to do this . ill wait till the morning and call my doctor thanks all! hope i make it through the night ...lol! just playing around!
 
It's not actually venom that's injected (like a rattlesnake), their barbs are covered in bacteria that sting like he!!. Having transported a few unlucky souls to the hospital after being hit with a catfish barb while fishing, about the only thing the ER does is exactly what you did. Remove the barb (if still in the skin), irrigate, wash with warm, soapy water, then apply an antibiotic ointment (Neosporine, etc.) I've had the unfortunate occurance of meeting the business end of a catfish barb, but I never had any problems other than the initial pain and redness. Just monitor the injury site, keep it clean and if things don't look right, go see the doctor. Good luck. :)
 
ok that makes me feel good. barbed area is not red or swollen at all. its been almost 24hrs, i did clean it and did apply bacitracin immediatly after it happened. thanks for the info ! you really put me at ease.
 
Glad to hear you are ok. The ironic thing for me is that I've had a few venomous creatures under my care at various times and the only thing I've been to ER for is a spider bite on my foot that went ballistic. Anyway, it's a good idea to have a first aid kit around with some cleansing pads and benadryl in it. If you have an allergenic reaction to something, usually the first thing they do is give you a shot of benadryl.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7065592#post7065592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ERICinFL
It's not actually venom that's injected (like a rattlesnake), their barbs are covered in bacteria that sting like he!!. Having transported a few unlucky souls to the hospital after being hit with a catfish barb while fishing, about the only thing the ER does is exactly what you did. Remove the barb (if still in the skin), irrigate, wash with warm, soapy water, then apply an antibiotic ointment (Neosporine, etc.) I've had the unfortunate occurance of meeting the business end of a catfish barb, but I never had any problems other than the initial pain and redness. Just monitor the injury site, keep it clean and if things don't look right, go see the doctor. Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

Not terribly sure where you got this information, but Plotosids do secrete a toxin from the epidermal tissues (i.e. glands) in the spines. If it were bacterial in origin, the stinging pain would not be immediate--however, because it is a venom, the pain occurs practically instantly IF you have been envenomated. However, being scratched by anything can be a problem as far as bacteria are concerned. Even many medical sites recognize plototoxin as a venom created by these catfishes.
 
If you were going to have a reaction that would be fatal, you'd have had it by now.

How's your tetanus status. That's the only worry I would have.

If it's been 24 hours and your not getting red, hot swollen finger, then you'll be ok.

Get the spike out, flush the wound. Don't squeaze and irritate the tissues too much. Don't fidget with it, you may re-open the wound or mistake the tissues with bruising or damage that may mask true signs of infection. Apply neosporin.

If your finger shows signs of infection in a day or two, like red, hot, swollen, or purulent drainage. Or if you are having fevers or nausea or flu-like symptoms, then you should see a doctor, who will do one or both of two things. He/She will drain any abscesses that they find, and will place you on an oral antibiotic. I hope this helps.

Sounds like you'll be fine.
 
ok my doctor examined me today. first thing he was concerned about was my tetnus status. it was up to date. next he did say that any reaction that would be a concern would of happend within minutes of the incident. he looked over my finger and even took an xray to determine that there was no foriegn object in it. to sum it up i was lucky to not have to experience the long care of this type of wound. the doctor consulted with a specialist with toxins and said that a good hit causes an infected wound and ussually takes weeks to heal up. no anti boitic is needed unless the wound is noticable or you have a specific health issue like being a diabetic. i now have total respect for anything toxic in salt! seriously!
 
just to be clear it hurt way worst than a splinter....i jumped several feet back and did an "ochie" dance before relizing what happened. and i wasnt hit effectivly so i could imagine the pain of a true hit!
 
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