The line that stood out for me from the article:

    All through the night -- and let me emphasize
    that you just can't make this stuff up -- the
    coral seems to have exuded some sort of
    creeping death mist.

Please, someone, tell me that the author is exaggerating at least a little...

Palytoxin is actually pretty well known in the reefing hobby. There are plenty of stories about people developing strange and frightening symptoms after exposure to Palythoa, but fortunately none of them (to my knowledge) have been terminal.

My SO is into this stuff, and I've learned that it's a fascinating and extremely technical hobby, and an expensive one too. Most of the danger is to your bank account.

so both cases had a dog?

Is it that far fetched to believe the dog licked pieces from the floor and then the owners, being dog owners that let the dog inside, played with the dog and let it lick their faces?