Temperature effects on box jellyfish venom: a possible treatment for envenomed patients?

Objective: To determine the effect of temperature on lethality of venom from Chironex fleckeri (the potentially fatal box jellyfish).

Design: Venom extracted from nematocysts of mature Chironex fleckeri specimens was exposed to temperatures between 4 degrees C and 58 degrees C for periods of two, five or 20 minutes, and then injected into freshwater crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) to assess lethality.

Main Outcome Measure: Venom lethality, assessed as time to cardiac standstill in crayfish after intramuscular injection.