Just curious if anyone knows of anyone or has had any experience with an allergic reaction to touching/handling live/raw shrimp or fish meal?
Took a friend shrimping for the first time opening weekend. He has never had an issue with cooked shrimp. He said his hands began itching a little during the weekend, but didn’t think anything of it. Over the week it got worse. Ended up with something that looked like boils on his hands and a rash on his body. Rash/swelling spread to his neck, face, legs, arms, etc. Went to the Dr. on Friday, ER on Sunday and Monday and they sent him to a dermatologist today. None of the Dr.'s know what it is. He is on medicine now and has had several shots, but still not getting better yet.
Only thing we can think of was maybe the handling of the shrimp or mixing the fish meal/clay. If anyone has seen anything like this, please share what was done to cure it. Thanks.
friend at work once told me that handling the meal/clay and shrimp headed that were caught over bait made his hands swell, turn red and itch…
could be something in the mix and not the shrimp
My hands itch all da tyme when headen shrump. Course cooling dem off wit a cold can o bir helps! Seriously tho, my hands frequently itch after and during the heading process. My shrimpin buddy does too. IMO I dont think the clay/meal/binder plays a role…probably more to do with something in the shrimp. Enzyme or something. I’m no biologist, but I’m sure someone on here is.
Which is why I use, and highly recommend using latex gloves while de-heading. I go to the auto parts store and buy the heavy duty “Raven” gloves. Maybe a little pricey…$14.00 for 50 pair. And they are nitrile, not latex. Good enough to be used by mechanics, and the shrimp don’t puncture them either.
I’ve got a friend that had a very similar reaction. She ate shrimp her entire life with no problem then a few years ago after shrimping, developed a rash and little bumps around her lips from holding the cast net in her mouth. She also had bumps/hives on her hands. Now she can not eat or touch shrimp or touch a container that raw shrimp have been in at all or the same reaction occurs.
Most people that react to fresh shrimp are reacting to the Iodine in the Shrimp. I have a buddy that has to wear latex gloves to be able to handle fresh shrimp. Once they are aged a little, he has no trouble with them. He sure can put them away after cooked.
Retired - always broke – but better than working!!!
Sounds like a bad iodine reaction to me. They’ll put him on steroids and he’ll need to take some benadryl. Or there’s always a chance of a bacterial infection if he had any open wounds on his hands or got horned by any of the skrimps. Prayers are going out that he gets better.
quote: She ate shrimp her entire life with no problem then a few years ago after shrimping, developed a rash and little bumps around her lips from holding the cast net in her mouth. She also had bumps/hives on her hands.
Often times this is caused by the tiny jellyfish that come up in the net and not the shrimp themselves. They tear up my lips and hands too.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
^^ I was thinking the same thing ^^ Its pretty common to pull up a lot of jellies and they are everywhere around here in late august and probably still somewhat
Thanks for replies. There were a lot of small jellies the first day that we had to deal with. Maybe?
follysurf, how long did the reaction last? We are going on 2 weeks now. He had the reaction on his hands for about a week, before it spread all over his body. All of the drugs/shots have slowed down the spread, but it still isn’t going away yet.
We caught 2 coolers last weekend…and de-headed in a creek…both of my hands were swollen for 3 days…it looked like I was in a fight! Quite the opposite. The same thing happen cleaning live crabs in Edisto last summer. Ate shrimp and grits next day no problem. I read it is a definate reaction to the iodine, jelly fish, algea in the water or the slime from the shrimp. Thank you so much “justcr” for the tip on gloves. Don’t want to be a wimp on the 3rd. Thanks again!
Heather, my wife has fairly “delicate” hands although by no means is she a wimp. She’ll help me shoe a horse on a moments notice. The “Raven” gloves are worth every penny, I only learned of them by a mechanic I know. And he wears 1 pair most all day. Tis a staple on our boat now!!!
If the symptoms persist/worsen, obviously seek medical attention. The only accurate answers can be found with a visit to an allergist. It is foolish to 2nd guess symptoms like these regardless the source. My father was always able to eat shrimp; however, peeling them resulted in severe allergic reactions. I always found this to be one of the most convenient allergies. Hope your friend feels better, and is back on the water quickly! Happy Shrimping…
Fresh Shrimp have never bothered me, and I can handle Shrimp that I froze but when I handle bought Frozen Shrimp,I have to wear some sort of gloves or my hands itch terribly.
You can get nitrile gloves pretty cheap at Harbor Freight or Sherwin-Williams stores. Our shop pays about $6 for a 50ct, I use them when doing wood stain. They do vary in quality but at 1/3 the price you can afford to lose a few.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
