MANAGEMENT OF

BOX JELLYFISH
STING
C

Fun Facts about box

jellyfish!
Scientific name: Chironex Fleckeri
Mainly found in coastal waters of
Australia andNew Guineanorth to
thePhilippinesand Vietnam. Deaths have
been reported in Java, India and Malaysia.
Named after the shape of the bell
Virtually transparent
The tentacles can extend to 3metres long
when hunting
From each of the four corners of the bell
trails a cluster of 15tentacles
Has four eye-clusters with 24 eyes; agile
swimmers
Amount of venom in one animal is
enough to kill 60 adult humans (although
most stings are mild).

What makes the box jellyfish so deadly?

The tentacles of the box jellyfish are
lined with nematocysts, or special
capsules containing a barbed,
threadlike tube that delivers a
paralyzing sting when propelled into
something.
once the dart pierces the skin, the
cnidocyst shoots the toxin through
the needle and into the victim.

Composition of the venom:

Cytotoxin A and B: Members of this
toxin family are potently haemolytic
and cause pain, inflammation,
dermonecrosis and death in
experimental animals
Neprilysin, a metalloendopeptidase, has been identified
as a possible neurotoxic protein in
snake venom
Porin; punctures red blood cells in
the human blood and the holes that
are created causes potassium to
leak out.

Management of box jellyfish

sting
Guidelines for the treatment of Box Jellyfish envenomation.pdf