Overview of Marine Bites and Stings

ByRobert A. Barish, MD, MBA, University of Illinois at Chicago;
Thomas Arnold, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport
Reviewed ByDiane M. Birnbaumer, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Reviewed/Revised Modified Jan 2025
v1117152
View Patient Education

Some marine bites and stings are toxic, such as those inflicted by

All create wounds that are at risk of infection with marine organisms, most notably Vibrio species, Aeromonas species, and Mycobacterium marinum.

Shark bites result in jagged lacerations with near-total or total amputations and should be treated in the same way as other major trauma (see Evaluation and Treatment of the Trauma Patient).

(See also Fish and Shellfish Poisoning.)

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