Stingray Envenomation 

  • Author: John L Meade, MD, CEO; Chief Editor: Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM   more...
 
Updated: Apr 14, 2010
 

Background

Stingrays (ie, elasmobranchs) are bottom-dwelling cartilaginous fish that have a flattened body, one or more stout spines on the tail, gill slits on the lower surface of the head, teeth modified into 2 large crushing plates, and no dorsal fin. They are not aggressive toward humans; however, injuries from these animals are very common. Stingrays are shown in the images below.

Stingray. Stingray. Stingray. Stingray.

Stingrays from the northern hemisphere make up the family Dasyatidae. These fish are marine creatures (ie, live in salt water) but also have been found in brackish waters and bays. Another ray family (Potamotrygonidae)[1] contains poisonous species known as freshwater stingrays. These freshwater stingrays live in lakes and rivers of South America.

Also see Cutaneous Manifestations Following Exposures to Marine Life.

Proceed to Clinical Presentation
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

John L Meade, MD, CEO  Statdoc Consulting, Inc; Medical Director and Member, Orange Beach Police Department SRT (SWAT); Medical Director, Multiple EMS Agencies

John L Meade, MD, CEO is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Medical Association of the State of Alabama

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Richard S Krause, MD  Senior Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine

Richard S Krause, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD  Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sacred Heart & St. Joseph's Hospitals

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Richard H Sinert, DO  Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Research Director, State University of New York College of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center

Richard H Sinert, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM  Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School; Medical Director, WeCare Med, Inc

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

  1. de Haro L, Pommier P. Envenomation: a real risk of keeping exotic house pets. Vet Hum Toxicol. Aug 2003;45(4):214-6. [Medline].

  2. Fenner PJ, Williamson JA, Skinner RA. Fatal and non-fatal stingray envenomation. Med J Aust. Dec 4-18 1989;151(11-12):621-5. [Medline].

  3. Perkins RA, Morgan SS. Poisoning, envenomation, and trauma from marine creatures. Am Fam Physician. Feb 15 2004;69(4):885-90. [Medline].

  4. Clark RF, Girard RH, Rao D, Ly BT, Davis DP. Stingray envenomation: a retrospective review of clinical presentation and treatment in 119 cases. J Emerg Med. Jul 2007;33(1):33-7. [Medline].

  5. Campbell J, Grenon M, You CK. Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery resulting from stingray envenomation. Ann Vasc Surg. Mar 2003;17(2):217-20. [Medline].

  6. Ellenhorn MJ. Envenomations: bites and stings. In: Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1997:1737-98.

  7. Guenin DG, Auerbach PS. Trauma and envenomations from marine fauna. In: Tintinalli JE, et al, eds. Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. McGraw-Hill; 1996:868-73.

  8. Otten EJ. Venomous animal injuries. In: Rosen P, et al, eds. Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. Mosby-Year Book; 1998:924-40.

 
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Typical stingray puncture wound on a foot, approximately 60 minutes after injury. Photo by John L. Meade, MD.
Stingray barb in forearm. Photo by John L. Meade, MD.
Stingray barb broken off in ring finger. Photo by John L. Meade, MD.
Spine removed from stingray injury. Image courtesy of Scott Plantz, MD.
Stingray.
Stingray.
 
 
 
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