Heart can restart after deadly sting

HUMAN hearts can survive a potentially lethal box jellyfish sting, new research suggests.

Findings from James Cook University released on Wednesday could change the way people are treated for the stings, which can kill a person in five minutes.

Researcher Stephanie Chaousis found that although the venom kills 70 per cent of human heart cells, which can be fatal, the cells fully recover after about four hours.

"Previously it wasn't known what part of the venom was fatal so I was able to isolate this part," Ms Chaousis, who has a bachelor of zoology, told AAP.

"Typically people who have been stung are given CPR for about 20 minutes.

"Now that we know there can be full cell recovery it could mean that if CPR is given until a person is put on a heart/lung machine this could potentially save lives."

Queensland Tropical Health Alliance Associate Professor Jamie Seymour, who supervised the study, says the research could also be beneficial in heart transplant surgery as a heart needs to be temporarily stopped during the process.

"Knowing that the component of the venom can cause a temporary heart standstill may lead to novel drug discovery in human heart transplants," he said.

Pharmaceutical companies have already shown interest in the research.

Box jellyfish use a dual-action venom that enables them to quickly stun and then kill their usual food source, such as shrimp and fish.

There have been 64 deaths in Australia attributed to box jellyfish stings in the past 130 years.

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