Although these stings are often innocuous, severe tissue necrosis may occur. A catfish "sting" can lead to serious infection or worse, according to a Penn State biology prof's report in the Journal of Wilderness Medicine. They’d give my mom a mess of them and we’d spend all day and night cleaning catfish. The majority of scorpion stings only cause localized symptoms, such as warmth and pain at the site of the sting. Lighter color of the area around the sting. Their barbels or fins don’t either. It almost feels like a really bad bee sting but it aches. Medical treatment should be sought as soon as possible after a catfish sting. Symptoms of a Catfish Sting may include severe pain and inflammation at the site of the sting. Each type of catfish has three spines and a stinging apparatus. Delayed hypersensitivity reaction, causing blisters, rash or other skin irritations one to two weeks after the sting 2. Catfish whiskers don’t sting. I can tell you from first-hand experience that getting pricked by the catfish spine can be very painful and in some serious cases, very dangerous. Catfish venom poisons a victim's nerves and breaks down red blood cells, producing such effects as severe pain, reduced blood flow, muscle spasms and respiratory distress. Clean with some sort of triple antibiotic cream like Neosporin and cover the wound with a clean dressing. Bullheads may be the worst type of catfish to sting you and taste muddy, but they’re not poisonous to eat. See a doctor if you have been stung by a catfish. The best way to hold a catfish is to get your hands under the belly and place your thumb and forefinger behind the left and right pectoral fins. In his paper, Wright describes how catfish venoms poison nerves and break down red blood cells, producing such effects as severe pain, reduced blood flow, muscle spasms and respiratory distress. In the study, Wright described how catfish venoms poison nerves and break down red blood cells, producing such effects as severe pain, reduced blood flow, muscle spasms and respiratory distress. In his paper, Wright describes how catfish venoms poison nerves and break down red blood cells, producing such effects as severe pain, reduced blood flow, muscle spasms and respiratory distress. Children and adults with catfish stings have immediate weakness, pain, and throbbing at the site of injury. . I eventually passed out in the outdoors laundry room and woke up in the hospital. Swelling can spread to an entire arm or leg within minutes. Illegal dumping and toxic chemicals in the waters would cause concern from eating the fish. Flatworm Parasites:These creatures normally live in sea birds and snails, but the tiny larvae can dig into skin and cause an intense itchy rash that can last for up to 14 days. I couldn’t move my hand or arm for about a week and it was painful for days. The fins of these prickly fish carry toxic venom. I wear gloves because it’s more protection from getting stung and I can also lip the fish. Now, a study of 158 catfish species, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, has catalogued the presence of venom glands and investigated their biological effects. Immerse the injury in hot water. Learn the best techniques to holding a catfish and when possible use a catfish lip grabber tool and wear gloves when handling. It reaches a peak and stays there for a while. Effects included profuse bleeding [25], severe pain [4,28], infection [26,27], dry gangrene [29] and a possible anaphylactic reaction in a fish guide (with a history of stings) who later tested positive to several fractions from a catfish fin extract [4]. And never pull the skin from the tail towards the head before removing the dorsal fin. . Each has 3 spines and a stinging apparatus. Catfish don’t “sting”, let’s go ahead and get that out of the way now. 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