Abstract We present the first recent reported case of traumatic injury caused by catfish in the Americas. Although 66.2% of fish-related injuries occur in the Amazon Region, they are scarcely reported. We report a traumatic injury in a 2-year-old boy who entered Madeira River. The use of traditional methods to treat the injury and his incomplete vaccination history reflect the weakness of the health system. Further, the fact that it was the second time that such an incident had occurred in the locality in 3 weeks during the dry season suggests that this could be a frequent occurrence during this period.