Neurotoxic effects of Portuguese Man of War

[Green Xenon]

Here is a picture of the Portuguese Man of war: http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/manowar1.gif

 

This beautiful yet bizarre creature has tentacles that are extremely smooth, soft, tender, and silky. However, attached to these tentacles are nematocysts [stinging cells]. A nematocyst will inject poison into the bloodstream of the victim. The tip of the nematocyst will enter halfway into a capillary of the victim. Due to this, as soon as the poison is delivered, it rapidly spreads around the body via

circulation.

 

Here is what a human victim will experience if the poison of the Portuguese Man of War enters his/her bloodstream:

 

1. A tactile hallucination of sharp pain all around the body [similar to that caused by excitation of the A-Delta Fiber Nociceptors]

2. Numbness to actual tactile stimuli

3. All voluntary muscles [including speech muscles; excluding breathing muscles] enter a state of complete relaxation and are unable to un-relax no matter how intense an attempt to stimulate those muscles. Victim cannot vocalize, move, or stand. However, the ability to breathe is totally un-affected.

[John Cuthber]

Well, clearly, the real answer is that the toxin would be massively diluted and have no effect.

 

Also

"Injection of crude toxin apparently produces a general paralysis. It appears

to affect the nervous system, especially respiratory centers, before the muscular

system."

from this rather old report

http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/reprint/115/2/219.pdf

 

indicates that the respiratory muscles are paralysed.

[Ahsan Iqbal]

Really nice information. By the way where is this type of animal found.? The name suggests that it lives in portugal