Fire Coral Cuts and Stings

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Medical Author:

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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• Fire Coral Cuts and Stings Overview
• Fire Coral Cuts and Stings Symptoms
• Fire Coral Cuts and Stings Treatment
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Pictures of Fire Coral Cuts and Stings
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor

Fire corals are not true corals. Fire corals are members of the Cnidaria phylum, and although fire coral looks like coral, it is more closely related to jellyfish and other stinging anemones. Fire corals (Millepora) are typically encountered off the Florida coast and in the Caribbean and produce minimal toxicity, predominantly local pain, usually described as stinging or burning pain. In addition, Hydroid corals are sessile creatures that can attach to rocks, coral, seaweed, or pilings. A typical reaction is a mild stinging sensation with occasional development of burning pain and lymphadenopathy and produce similar symptoms as fire coral.

Fire corals have a bright yellow-green and brown skeletal covering and are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters. Scuba divers often mistake fire coral for seaweed, and accidental contact is common. The very small nematocysts (an organ in some marine animals consisting of a minute capsule containing an ejectable thread that causes a sting) on fire corals contain tentacles that protrude from numerous surface pores. In addition, fire corals have a sharp, calcified external skeleton that can scrape the skin.