A child under the age of 10 was rushed to hospital on Monday after being stabbed in the chest by a catfish.
The child was stabbed with catfish spikes while fishing in Florida, the Pasco County Fire and Rescue Service Corey Deerdorf told The Sun.
The incident took place in New Port Richie. Firefighters said that while the child’s mother was taking the victim to a nearby hospital, the young man had shortness of breath.
After the mother called 911, firefighters from Pasco Fire Rescue responded and identified the child as a signal of trauma.
The young victim was then flown by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.
Dierdorf said the child remained in stable condition at the hospital.
He noted that it was not known whether the catfish was poisonous.
Pasco Fire Rescue posted on Twitter to share footage from the helicopter carrying the child.
Responding to another Twitter user, Pasco Fire Rescue explained: “The child was stabbed in the chest by a catfish sting.
“The sting entered the chest cavity about 1-1.5 inches and caused shortness of breath. We hope for a speedy recovery. “
The young victim was then flown by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Pasco County Fire and Rescue Service
Speaking to WTSP-TV, Dierdorf called the child’s situation “very strange”.
He told the publication: “I have never heard of anything like this.
“You’ve heard of a fisherman being cut by a thorn or hitting the back of his leg and getting an infection, but you’ve never heard of it penetrating the chest.
North American toxic catfish have a “relatively mild venom”. Getty Images
Although it is not known whether the fish that attacked the child were poisonous, a 2009 Geo Geographic report found that half of the more than 3,000 species of catfish were poisonous.
Jeremy Wright’s study of the venom and microscopic tissue structures of 158 species of catfish “concluded that at least 1,250 to 1,625 species of catfish are probably poisonous,” writes Nat Geo.
Wright said that toxic catfish in North America have a “relatively mild venom” and that some species, such as flat catfish, are not poisonous.
He said catfish venom was used only for protection and not for hunting.
Nat Geo added: “When the catfish feels threatened by a larger fish, it can pop out the folding spikes that usually lie close to its sides, making its body wider and harder to swallow.
“If the predator still bites, sharp spikes cut into his mouth.
“Meanwhile, the pressure on the thorns causes them to shift to their base, tearing the skin on the neighboring venom glands. The venom also spills into the wounds of the predator’s mouth.
This story originally appeared in The Sun and is reproduced here with permission.
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