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4. Mianzan H., Sorarrain D., Burnett J.W., Lutz L., Mucocutaneous junctional and flexural paresthesias caused by the Holoplanktonic Trachymedusa Liriope tetraphylla. Karger; 201: 46-48; 2000.
Multiple stages of Liriope tetraphylla caused paresthesias leading to the chafing and excoriations in swimmers along the Southern Uruguayan and Northern Argentinean Atlantic coasts. These episodes appear seasonally in the summer and affect groups of bathers in shallow water (1-3m).
5. Nagai H., Takuwa K., Nakao M., Sakamoto B., Crow G., Nakajima T. Isolation and characterization of a novel protein toxin from the Hawaiian box jellyfish (Sea Wasp) Carybdea alata. Biomedical & Biophysical Research Communications; 275; 589-594; 2000.
The box jellyfish (sea wasp) Carybdea alata Reynaud, 1830 (Cubozoa) is distributed widely in the tropics. The sting of C. alata causes severe pain and cutaneous inflammation in humans. C. alata toxin-A (CaTX-A, 43 kDa) and -B (CaTX-B, 45 kDa) was isolated for the first time from the Hawaiian shore. The experimental results showed that CaTX-A but not CaTX-B, is present in the nematocyst, the organ responsible for stinging. Both CaTX-A and -B showed potent hemolytic activity, with CaTX-A being lethally toxic to crayfishes when administered via intraperitoneal injection. Furthermore, the sequenced cDNA encoding was CaTX-A. The deduced amino acid sequence of CaTX-A (463 amino acids) showed 43.7% homology to Carybdea rastoni toxins (CrTXs) but not with any other known proteins. Therefore, these jellyfish toxins potentially represent a novel class of bioactive proteins. Secondary structure analysis of CaTX-A and CrTXs suggested the presence of amphiphilic a-helices, which are also seen in several known hemolytic or cytolytic protein toxins, including peptide toxins.
6. Nagai H., Takuwa K., Nakao M., Ito E., Miyake M., Noda M., Nakajima T. Novel proteinaceous toxins from the box jellyfish (Sea Wasp) Carybdea rastoni. Biomedical & Biophysical Research Communications; 275; 582-588; 2000.
During summer and autumn, the box jellyfish (sea wasp) Carybdea rastoni is one of the most bothersome stinging pests to swimmers and bathers on the Japanese coast. Two labile but potent hemolytic toxins from the tentacles of Carybdea rastoni were isolated in their active forms using newly developed purification methods. The molecular masses of the isolated C. rastoni toxin-A and toxin-B (CrTX-A and CrTX-B) are 43 and 46 kDa, respectively, as calculated from SDSPAGE. In the represent study, we sequenced the full-length cDNA (1600 bp), which encodes both CrTX-A and CrTX-B. The deduced 450 amino acid sequence of the CrTXs, showed no significant homology with any known protein. This report presents the first complete sequence of a proteinaceous jellyfish toxin. Furthermore it was revealed that CrTX-A was primarily localized in the nematocyst, whereas CrTX-B was detected only in the tentacle. Because the nematocyst is the organ responsible for the cnidarian sting, the remainder of the study focused on the toxicity to mice at 20 mg/kg (i.v.) and crayfish at 5 mg/ kg (i.p.). Subcutaneously injected CrTX-A (0.1 mg) caused inflammation of mouse skin. These results
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showed that CrTX-A is responsible for cutaneous inflammation observed in humans stung by C. rastoni.
7. Peter L Pereira, Teresa Carrette, Paul Cullen, Richard F. Mulcahy, Mark Little and Jamie Seymour. Pressure immobilisation bandages in first-aid treatment of jellyfish envenomation. Medical Journal of Australia 2000; 173: 650-652
Venom beads were released from electrically activated Chiropsalmus sp. nematocysts, which had already been subjected to 40mmHg pressure. Therefore the force same as that within a pressure immobilisation bandage had previously " fired" the organelle. The released beads were cardioactive illustrating that microscopically discharged nematocyst still contained active venom. Since the authors tested only normal rather than vinegar treated nematocysts we do not know with certainty whether pressure immobilisation bandages could fire vinegar treated nematocyst and thus are not to be used in severe stings.
8. M. Germain, K.J. Smith, H. Skelton. The cutaneous cellular infiltrate to stingray envenomazation contains increased TIA + cells. British Journal of Dermatology 2000: 143; 1074-1077
After envenomation, there is immediate, intense pain with subsequent oedema, cyanosis followed by local erythema and petechiae. Progressive local necrosis and ulceration is variable, sometimes leading to gangrene. To characterize the inflammatory infiltrate at the site of a stingray injury, we examined tissue obtained approximately four days after stingray envenomization. Routine histology and immunohistochemical stains for lymphoid markers, including CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, Kp-1 and TIA were performed, and demonstrated a central area of haemorrhagic necrosis with a surrounding infiltrate of lymphoid cells and eosinophils. Approximately one-third of the mononuclear cells were TIA+, and these cells appeared mainly to correspond to the cells which where CD3+ and CD4+. The inflammatory cells, including the lymphoid populations, suggest that an immunological reaction may contribute to the delayed healing of stingray injuries.
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