Boulware David R
Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, USA.
J Travel Med. 2006 May-Jun;13(3):166-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2006.00036.x.
Jellyfish stings are a common occurrence among ocean goers worldwide with an estimated 150 million envenomations annually. Fatalities and hospitalizations occur annually, particularly in the Indo-Pacific regions. A new topical jellyfish sting inhibitor based on the mucous coating of the clown fish prevents 85% of jellyfish stings in laboratory settings. The field effectiveness is unknown. The objective is to evaluate the field efficacy of the jellyfish sting inhibitor, Safe Sea.
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial occurred at the Dry Tortugas National Park, FL, USA and Sapodilla Cayes, Belize. Participants were healthy volunteers planning to snorkel for 30 to 45 minutes. Ten minutes prior to swimming, each participant was directly observed applying a blinded sample of Safe Sea (Nidaria Technology Ltd, Jordan Valley, Israel) to one side of their body and a blinded sample of Coppertone (Schering-Plough, Kenilworth, NJ, USA) to the contralateral side as placebo control. Masked 26 g samples of both Safe Sea SPF15 and Coppertone SPF15 were provided in identical containers to achieve 2 mg/cm(2) coverage. Sides were randomly chosen by participants. The incidence of jellyfish stings was the main outcome measure. This was assessed by participant interview and examination as subjects exited the water.
A total of 82 observed water exposures occurred. Thirteen jellyfish stings occurred during the study period for a 16% incidence. Eleven jellyfish stings occurred with placebo, two with the sting inhibitor, resulting in a relative risk reduction of 82% (95% confidence interval: 21%-96%; p= 0.02). No seabather's eruption or side effects occurred.
Safe Sea is a topical barrier cream effective at preventing >80% jellyfish stings under real-world conditions.
水母蜇伤在全球海洋活动者中很常见，据估计每年有1.5亿人被蜇伤中毒。每年都有致死和住院病例发生，尤其是在印度-太平洋地区。一种基于小丑鱼黏液涂层的新型外用水母蜇伤抑制剂在实验室环境中可预防85%的水母蜇伤。其在实际应用中的效果尚不清楚。目的是评估水母蜇伤抑制剂Safe Sea在实际应用中的疗效。
在美国佛罗里达州的德赖托图加斯国家公园和伯利兹的萨波迪拉礁进行了一项双盲、随机、安慰剂对照试验。参与者为计划进行30至45分钟浮潜的健康志愿者。游泳前10分钟，直接观察每位参与者在身体一侧涂抹未标明的Safe Sea（以色列约旦河谷Nidaria科技有限公司）样本，在对侧涂抹未标明的Coppertone（美国新泽西州肯尼沃思先灵葆雅公司）样本作为安慰剂对照。提供装在相同容器中的26克未标明的Safe Sea SPF15和Coppertone SPF15样本，以达到2毫克/平方厘米的覆盖面积。参与者随机选择涂抹部位。水母蜇伤的发生率是主要观察指标。在参与者出水时通过访谈和检查进行评估。
共观察到82次水上暴露。研究期间发生了13次水母蜇伤，发生率为16%。安慰剂组发生11次水母蜇伤；蜇伤抑制剂组发生2次，相对风险降低82%（95%置信区间：21%-96%；P=0.02）。未发生海水浴者皮疹或副作用。
Safe Sea是一种外用防护霜，在实际应用条件下能有效预防80%以上的水母蜇伤。
