[Coral-List] Injury by sea creature

[Verena Wiesbauer Ali]

Dear all,

Thank you very much for your helpful suggestions regarding the marine
envenomation here in the Maldives. I shall forward them to the doctor who is
treating the girl.

To sum up, the culprit could be a reaction to the palytoxin of a Zoanthid,
or remaining spicules of sponges, or contact with various sea anemones (like
*Phyllodiscus *or *Actinodendron*), or with large Hydroids, or even with
Octocorals.

What I personally also find very likely (thanks for the hints), is an
infection with marine bacteria which may not be able to be cultured on
conventional plates. Especially because the injury is on the patient's heel,
I find it likely that she stepped on something and got a secondary
infection; or remaining foreign objects like spicules are still in the
wound.

I have uploaded the photos here:
http://www.instantgallery.de/galerie/235693/Marine+envenomation/0.html
for everyone who is further interested in the matter.
The investigation continues...

-- 
Verena Wiesbauer Ali, M.Sc.
Marine Biologist / Zoologist
Coral restoration & rehabilitation
EIA Consultant: 03/10
Austria and Maldives
<°))))><