A 5 year-old boy is ‘off his face’ after drinking what looked like a nice bottle of cordial. It was actually radiator coolant. You are called for advice.
Toxinology
Spider envenoming
Spider envenoming: In Australia the only two spiders of real importance = Funnel-web and the Red-Back; only these two can cause death or severe systemic illness
Tick Paralysis
Tick paralysis is a rare life-threatening disorder caused by envenoming from ixodid tick bites. Can cause respiratory paralysis
Has the bell tolled for redback antivenom?
Redback spider bites are of decent medical importance, if you live in Australia or any of the places they’ve been carried to by humans. Their venom inflicts you with pain that can be local, regional, or generalized. It can also cause systemic effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, or malaise. Due to this, Australian researchers […]
Does Antivenom Work?
Antivenom is widely used for Australian envenoming syndromes. Antivenoms are generally perceived, by both clinicians and the general public, as highly effective treatments. However, there is little evidence to support this widely held view, in fact, the weight of evidence suggests that some antivenoms are ineffective in clinical practice.
Redback Spider Envenoming
Redback spider bite is the most common envenoming in Australia with 5000–10,000 human bites occurring annually.
Irukandji syndrome
Irukandji syndrome is a distressing envenoming secondary to the sting of Carukia barnesi and other, as yet unidentified, jellyfish found in coastal waters of tropical Australia.
Blue Bottle Jellyfish
The bluebottle jellyfish is responsible for thousands of stings on Australian beaches each year. Clinical features include intense local pain and dermal erythema. Hot water immersion provides safe symptomatic relief. Unlike Physalia stings in other parts of the world, major systemic envenoming does not occur.
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