Sting Stories: Firsthand Experiences of Fish Envenomation Through a Small-Scale Questionnaire

Harris, Richard J., Saggiomo, Silvia L., Paxton, Gillian, and Motti, Cherie A. (2025) Sting Stories: Firsthand Experiences of Fish Envenomation Through a Small-Scale Questionnaire. Toxins, 17 (3). 134.

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Abstract

Stings from venomous bony and cartilaginous fishes are known to cause extreme pain in humans, and with changing migratory patterns and distributions due to climate change, human interactions with venomous fishes may increase. Therefore, developing a better understanding of venomous fish stings and the associated pain can provide better solutions for first aid and treatments, particularly in areas or within populations with a higher risk of being stung. Using the results from an online questionnaire, this study discusses the perspectives of 121 people with direct experience of fish stings, exploring the contexts in which fish stings occurred, their firsthand experiences of pain, sting pathophysiology, experiences with medical treatments, and the long-term consequences of fish stings. This small-scale survey has proved successful for the exploration of fish sting experiences, and as such, an approach of this nature should be considered to better understand victim’s experiences with other painful animal stings.

Item ID: 88254
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2072-6651
Keywords: fish sting, fish venom, hot water immersion, pain, survey
Copyright Information: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Date Deposited: 07 Apr 2026 01:58
FoR Codes: 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420604 Injury prevention @ 100%
SEO Codes: 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200408 Injury prevention and control @ 100%
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