title: Temperature effects on box jellyfish venom: a possible treatment for envenomed patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of temperature on lethality of venom from Chironex fleckeri (the potentially fatal box jellyfish).
  
  
  METHODS
  Venom extracted from nematocysts of mature Chironex fleckeri specimens was exposed to temperatures between 4 degrees C and 58 degrees C for periods of two, five or 20 minutes, and then injected into freshwater crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) to assess lethality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Venom lethality, assessed as time to cardiac standstill in crayfish after intramuscular injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Venom lethality was significantly affected by both temperature (F(7,34) = 21915; P < 0.0001) and time of exposure (F(2,34) = 9907; P < 0.0001). No significant loss of lethality was seen after exposure to temperatures <or= 39 degrees C, even after 20 minutes' exposure. At temperatures >or= 43 degrees C, venom lost its lethality more rapidly the longer the exposure time. Venom was non-lethal after exposure to 48 degrees C for 20 minutes, 53 degrees C for five minutes, and 58 degrees C for two minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to heat dramatically reduces the lethality of extracted C. fleckeri venom. Although heat application may be of limited use in treating C. fleckeri envenoming because of the speed of symptom onset, its use in other box-jellyfish envenomings, such as Irukandji syndrome, requires investigation.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Biology, James Cook University - Cairns Campus, Cairns, QLD, Australia. Teresa.Carrette@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Teresa J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Carrette
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Peter L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Peiera
authors.forename: Jamie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Seymour
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000628:therapy; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms / Q000633:toxicity*; D037462:Cubozoa; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D003064:Cnidarian Venoms