Lionfish envenomations in Poland.

14 injuries caused by lionfish Pterois volitans (L) kept in home aquariums were noted over a time period of 3 years. All the punctures occurred in the victims' hands. Intense pain and systemic findings observed in 11 patients. Enveno-mations had a mild course, the patients were treated for their symptoms. Toxicology information centers have also recorded 3 cases of exposure to tank-bred lionfish in which typical envenomation symptoms did not appear. Those cases were probably what is referred to as "empty stings", in which no toxin is injected into the victim's body. Empty stings are known to be made by snakes, which can consciously inject no venom, while for lionfish, the lack of exposure to venom was probably caused by the structure of the venom organ in which there was no channel to deliver the venom.