Marine Scorpaenidae Envenomation in Travelers: Epidemiology, Management, and Prevention

The Scorpaenidae are a large family of venomous marine fish that include scorpionfish, lionfish, and stonefish. Although most stonefish are confined to the Indo-Pacific, scorpionfish are distributed in the tropics worldwide, and two species of Indo-Pacific lionfish were inadvertently introduced into the Eastern Atlantic in the 1990s. Since then, lionfish have invaded shallow reef systems in the Eastern Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. All of these regions are popular travel destinations for beachcombing, fishing, swimming, and scuba diving-recreational activities that increase risks of Scorpaenidae envenomation.