Citation

Raupp U, Milde P, Goerz G, Plewig G, Burnett J, Heeger T. Hautarzt 1996; 47(1): 47-52.

Vernacular Title

Fallstudie einer Quallenverletzung.

Affiliation

Hautklinik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8835004

Abstract

We are presenting a 47-year-old woman who was stung by jellyfish while bathing in the sea of Thailand. Immediately after the injury she developed sharp pain and urticarial erythema of the skin of the knees accompanied by muscle cramps of the entire body. After a few days a toxic contact dermatitis with edematous swelling and ulcerations developed, which did not respond to topical antibiotics or corticosteroids. Three weeks later the patient presented with a disseminated urticarial eruption, which at first responded well to topical treatment and systemic corticosteroids. Over the next few weeks, however, a relapse of the eruption and the ulcerations occurred. Raised titres of IgG and IgM antibodies against different jellyfish from the Indian and Pacific Ocean were detected in the patient's serum by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibodies against bees (class 1) and wasps (class 4) were found by the radioallergosorbent test. The clinical features and the immunological findings led to the diagnosis of toxic and allergic contact dermatitis to jellyfish venom. First aid and secondary treatment of jellyfish injuries are suggested.

Language: de