The episode at Isola Ciclopi. The woman was discharged after two days of hospitalization in cardiology. The animal is a siphonophore, a floating colony of hydrozoans with thin tentacles 30 meters long. Very difficult to find in the Mediterranean, among the most dangerous species: a fatal case in 2010 in Sardinia
Such prominent symptoms and characteristic skin lesions on the back, buttocks and legs suggest that it is the sting of a Portuguese caravel. Benedetta Stancanelli, head of the Policlinico San Marco in Catania, points the finger at one of the least known animals, but one of the most dangerous present in the Italian seas. A bather, also due to previous pathologies, had to be hospitalized in intensive care after her conditions had worsened a few hours after presumably coming into contact with the long tentacles of a Portuguese Caravel (Physalia physalis its scientific name) at Isola Ciclopi, the stacks that lie in front of Aci Trezzto. The woman complained of headache, asthenia, vomiting, panic attacks, breathing difficulties and a major cardiac arrhythmia.
A fatal case in 2010
The Portuguese Caravel rare in the Mediterranean, but the first sightings date back to the nineteenth century. This year she has already been noticed in Sicily, in Sardinia, at Villa San Giovanni in the Strait of Messina and in the Ligurian Sea near Chiavari. In recent years, a specimen had been sighted on the Maltese island of Comino. In our seas there has already been a fatal case, which dates back to twelve years ago: a 69-year-old woman died in August 2010 in Sardinia.
un siphonoforo
Physalia physalis is actually not one true jellyfish, but one colony of hydrozoans of four different types. present in all oceans, particularly abundant around Australia. classified among the siphonophores, it forms a floating colony thanks to a 15-20 cm long blue sac filled with gas, under which thin tentacles up to 30 meters long (on average about ten) unravel. The tentacles are not noticeable under water and their contact causes burning and very painful wounds. The poison can cause one anaphylactic shock variable from individual to individual and which can be fatal if not dealt with quickly. Children and heart patients can suffer the most serious consequences.
The most dangerous and what to do if you come in contact
The most dangerous jellyfish in the world is there Sea wasp (such a cubomedusa Chironex fleckeri), has tentacles that can reach three meters in length, lives between Australia and the Philippines. According to Ferdinando Boero, professor of zoology and anthropology at the University of Naples Federico II, the jellyfish are on the rise worldwide and in the Mediterranean have increased tenfold in 15-20 years. There are many causes, including the warming of the water in the seas. Overfishing also favors its proliferation. If you come into contact with a jellyfish, don’t panic and get out of the water. To relieve pain do not use vinegar, ammonia or alcohol which increase the irritation caused by toxins, suggests Stefano Piraino, professor of zoology at the University of Salento. Wet the affected area with sea water and apply ice or a cold pack. Use water and hot packs only with the Portuguese Caravel. With changes in your breathing or heartbeat, go to the emergency room.
July 22, 2022 (change July 22, 2022 | 21:23)
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