Have you ever been stunk by a Lionfish? McGill University and the Université de Montréal want to hear from you.
Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific, is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration and venomous spiky fin rays.
The two Canadian universities are currently collaborating on the world's first large-scale study of lionfish stings. At present, there is no scientific data that has been collected on a broad scale, as to what happens to a human after they have been stung by a lionfish.
Subject Criteria
Been stung? The scientists would like to collect the pain and symptoms you experienced after you were stung.
In order to take part in the survey, you need to be at least 18 years old, have internet access, be fluent in English, and have been stung at least once by a lionfish.
The Goals
The researchers want to provide the scientific community with a general idea of standard symptoms and outcomes that people experience following a lionfish sting, and study the specific types of pain the victim experiences.
We all know that we feel different kinds of pain. A burning pain feels different from a freezing pain, a bruise pain or a stabbing pain. All these different kinds of pain have different molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying them, hence the scientists are looking to understand the type(s) of pain humans feel upon envenomation by lionfish, to better target their research efforts against these mechanisms.
