Palytoxin is no Joke

[RandyO]

I thought it was all in my head this past Monday when I thought I was feeling affects of Palytoxin.

I was doing some routine maintenance on my systems and noticed a ton of Palythoa polyps running rampant under my egg crate racks. They were growing loose on the rubble chunks of sand. I grabbed handfuls to remove them. They give off a thick slime when touched. I ended up removing many hundreds of polyps. Shortly after, I noticed my hands tingling but thought it was just in my head since I know Palythoa contain a toxin. I've never really felt anything from handling them before.
About an hour later I started sneezing. Didn't think for a second it was related to the Paly's. As the night progressed, I started feeling my muscles ache and felt a burning in my chest. My nose was running and overall was not feeling well. I had just worked a 16 hour shift the day before and was going on 12 hours this day so I just figured I was tired. But then the chills started to set in and I figured it was time to go home and get some rest.
Getting home I assumed I had a fever since I could not get warm. I figured since the weather warmed up I must of come down with a virus. My temperature was 100.3. Not too bad, but bundled up and went to bed. It was about 5AM
Woke up at 8:30AM and Temp was still 100.1 so drank some liquids and back went back bed.
Started to feel better later Tuesday and came into work. But still felt aches all day and burning chest. I decided to take it easy the next couple of days, thinking I was fighting off a cold.
It wasn't until today that one of my co-workers mentioned my illness could have been palytoxin poisoning. I thought how foolish I was that I should of used gloves to remove those polyps. But wasn't 100% convinced it was affects of Palytoxin until coming across this article an hour ago.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/personal-experiences-with-palytoxin-poisoning-almost-killed-myself-wife-and-dogs

 

[Jacwil]

How are you sure you don't/didn't have the "flu"?????

 

[Randrew215]

I'm glad to hear that was the worst of it. Palytoxin is serious stuff. I'm not saying that it couldn't have been the flu, but the chest burning is atypical for that (though the muscle aches and low-grade fever are in line).

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

Nonpowdered surgical gloves are easy to use; I'm glad you are feeling better!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Good to hear it wasn't worse, Randy.

edit: I might have unknowingly had this and thought it was low T

(sorry man- I already know I'm gonna burn!)

 

[emm0909]

I've had my lips go numb after fragging palys before. I never had an issue with my hands but I must have whipped my mouth shortly after and it got into the sensitive skin. It's weird.

 

[Willistein]

The fact that your symptoms followed handling them and that your hands were tingling makes me think you're right, Randy. Glad it didn't land you in the hospital.

 

[Jacwil]

Were they the same polyps that you linked?

 

[RandyO]

I didn't think it was the flu because of how quickly it came on and then left. I was thinking a 24 hour bug, but thought how strange my chest felt. Usually for me, I'll get a chest infection after a cold. Coughing and colored phlegm. It's a gradual thing that develops over an entire week of sickness. This was a tight feeling in my chest, with a burning sensation, and colored phlegm within hours. But 24 hours later, mostly gone.

Justin. The polyps are the exact same ones in the link. Greenish, brown Palys that grow out of control.

 

[blanden.adam]

Yeah, as a group we can get caviler when we are around this stuff all the time, but we really need to take a step back and take palytoxin extremely seriously. It's the second deadliest non-protein substance known to man, there is no antidote, and if you land in the ER you will not be properly diagnosed unless you tell them about palytoxin yourself, and even then the only treatment is to give fluids and supportive care with the hope that you don't die until your system can clear it. Bad News!

Always wear gloves and eye protection when working with palys!

 

[Jacwil]

Ugh!!! Sry to hear all this Randy!

Those same polyps are in a TON of tanks.

 

[Johnny C]

Scary stuff... glad to hear you are feeling better cuz!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Ugh!!! Sry to hear all this Randy!

Those same polyps are in a TON of tanks.

true dat

Johnny @ MO got sick clearing those loathesome polyps out of his tanks.

 

[MarkKlier]

Randy so sorry to hear about that. It is strange since we get so used to working on our systems and forget what "lurks" in there. One time not too long ago I was moving a hammer. Now I have handled those corals a thousand times. This time I had a small break in the skin on my thumb. I saw the hammer sting me...it felt like some one stuck a nail right through my thumb with an electric current. Over the next twenty minutes my thumb swelled to twice its size and got bright red. It certainly did get my attention. It was very painfull. Glad you are okay.

 

[Jacwil]

true dat

Johnny @ MO got sick clearing those loathesome polyps out of his tanks.

I wound up in hospital for a cpl days after nicking my thumb while handling lr with those polyps on it...had the nice red line from my thumb to my armpit almost.

 

[tmz]

It's always a risk without gloves..Hope you feel better soon Randy.I've felt a hammer and paly inducued discomfort before . Some of those polyps slime a bunch.

I read somewhere that indigenous Pacific islanders tipped thier arrows with some of it.

Every so often I nag myself to wear gloves but then I always find my bare hands in the tank. I'm not very smart about reasonable precautions.

Reading some of these might give some of us enough r motiavation to be more careful:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blo...adliest-poison-possibly-available-at-your-lfs

and this from Wikipedia:

Palytoxin could be related to ciguatera seafood poisoning and thus give rise to a number of symptoms related to this poisoning. Clupeotoxism, poisoning after consuming clupeoid fish, is also suggested to be caused by palytoxin. Neurological and gastrointestinal disturbances are associated with clupeotoxism.<sup id="cite_ref-louzao_37-0" class="reference">[37]</sup> The most common complication of palytoxin poisoning is rhabdomyolysis. This involves skeletal muscle breakdown and the leakage of intracellular contents into the blood plasma.<sup id="cite_ref-vasconcelos_38-0" class="reference">[38]</sup> Other symptoms associated with palytoxin poisoning in humans are characterized by a bitter/metallic taste, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mild to acute lethargy, paresthesia, bradycardia, renal failure, impairment of sensation, muscle spasms, tremor myalgia, cyanosis, and respiratory distress. In the fatal cases of palytoxin poisoning, the poisoning mostly results in death due to myocardial injury.<sup id="cite_ref-louzao_37-1" class="reference">[37]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-vasconcelos_38-1" class="reference">[38]</sup> Exposure to aerosols, as happened in Italy in 2005 and 2006 (see Incidents section), results mainly in respiratory illness. Other symptoms caused by these aerosols include fever associated with serious respiratory disturbs, such as bronchoconstriction, mild dyspnea, and wheezes, while conjunctivitis was observed in some cases.<sup id="cite_ref-louzao_37-2" class="reference">[37]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-vasconcelos_38-2" class="reference">[38]</sup> Palytoxin is also classified as a non-TPAtype tumor promoter.<sup id="cite_ref-fo_9-3" class="reference">[9]</sup>


If for some reason you choose to boil or othehrwise craeatevapors from live rock be aware that inhalingt he fumes is even worse than skin exposure with increased lethality.

 

[GMaquarium]

Randy sorry you weren't feeling too hot. I bet you have had this before many times and didn't think much about it. I have been sick from corals and many other things from our fish tanks before. It wasn't until I was VERY sick that I gave it much thought. One thing I noticed is sensitivity goes up with repeated exposure. Having a job dealing with corals in mass amounts daily makes it difficult to avoid. Just have to be careful.

 

[Capt_Cully]

I'd be concerned about future exposures. Secondary exposures can be much worse depending on your immune systems response. Might wanna glove it from now on. Also can't hurt to have some Benadryl and an Epi-pen on hand. Overkill? Maybe, but better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

I've been nailed by a frogspawn on open wounds before. An attention getter for sure. Direct hit from nematocysts. Palytoxins? Whole different ball game.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

crazy thought

crazy thought

(relatively small) fishes can pop these Palys and surive.
is there an antidote to be developed from Marine Angelfish/Butterflyfish/etc.?

someday National Geographic MIGHT prove I was onto something....

 

[MarkKlier]

Just for the record Randy, the fact that you have a history of always getting chest congestion after viral infections makes me at least consider a touch of asthmatic condition. Burning in the chest can either be GI ,pulmonary or cardiac. Clearly pulmonary or cardiac can be life threatening. Mark's point about benadryl is important, but the effects from palytoxin can be toxic or allergic. If you were having an allegic component that can get very complicated given your buisness. Make sure you follow up with your doctor.
If a patient came to my office with your symptoms I would first make sure I understood their vitals, HR,BP,RR temp. Then I would be very carefull on my exam to make sure their lungs were clear and that the cardiac exam was normal. Then and only then would I offer an opinion.
Be well......