Necrotic spider bites White tailed spiders (Lampona cylindrata) may be responsible for this presentation in New Zealand. They live in dark corners in houses and sheds and do not make webs. [dermnetnz.org]

Diagnosis The brown recluse spider bite often presents a diagnostic challenge because bites from other spider species and a variety of dermatologic conditions may produce similar clinical presentations. [woundsresearch.com]

Black widow spiders are present throughout the US. Distribution of the brown widow recently spread from Florida to all of the Gulf Coast states. [merckmanuals.com]

Clinical presentation and outcome of brown recluse spider bite. Ann Emerg Med. 1997;30:28–32. 14. Rees R, Campbell D, Rieger E, King LE. The diagnosis and treatment of brown recluse spider bites. Ann Emerg Med. 1987;16:945–9. 15. [aafp.org]

Recluses do not, however, travel between indoor habitats without human intervention – thus they are not common throughout the state even after being present for many decades. [entomology.ces.ncsu.edu]

• Anemia

  Some people have a severe, systemic (whole-body) reaction to brown recluse spider bites, including the rapid destruction of red blood cells and anemia ( hemolytic anemia ). Signs and symptoms include: Fever and chills. [uofmhealth.org]

  Last year he missed five games because of anemia, an iron deficiency in the blood. Over the summer, he had minor surgery to remedy a circulatory problem. [articles.latimes.com]

  Also, in extreme cases of hobo spider bites, a condition can develop known as aplastic anemia. This is a bone marrow failure, which, although rare, is often fatal. "I feel fortunate that I went and got it checked out quickly," James said. [peninsulaclarion.com]

  Side effects may include sore throat, pallor, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, and cholestatic jaundice. [clinicaladvisor.com]

  Dapsone (eg, 100 mg po once/day until inflammation subsides) is often considered for ulcers > 2 cm, but its benefit is unproved and dose-related hemolysis almost always develops; agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, and methemoglobinemia have been documented [merckmanuals.com]

• Gangrene

  Should gangrene and/or skin necrosis occur surgical management may be appropriate, however early aggressive surgical therapy is not advocated. [anaesthesia.med.usyd.edu.au]

• Nausea

  In cases of larger envenomation, the black widow bite can cause headache, severe abdominal pain, high blood pressure, nausea and vomiting. Brown Recluse Spider The brown recluse bite is diagnosed far more frequently than it actually occurs. [advanceer.com]

  Within eight hours you may experience muscle pain and rigidity, stomach and back pain, nausea and vomiting, and breathing difficulties. [standard.co.uk]

  Nonspecific systemic features (nausea, vomiting, headache, lethargy and malaise). Local and regional diaphoresis and, less commonly, other autonomic and neurological effects. [patient.info]

  Other signs and symptoms may include: a red or purple blister at the puncture site visual or aural disruption weakness joint pain headaches nausea sweating Hobo spider bites are slow to heal. [healthline.com]

• Abdominal Pain

  In cases of larger envenomation, the black widow bite can cause headache, severe abdominal pain, high blood pressure, nausea and vomiting. Brown Recluse Spider The brown recluse bite is diagnosed far more frequently than it actually occurs. [advanceer.com]

  Symptoms The bite is often painless and the first sign may be cramping abdominal pain. The abdomen becomes hard and boardlike as the waves of pain become severe. Breathing is difficult and accompanied by grunting. [healthcentral.com]

  The result is agonising abdominal pain and muscle spasm, headache, paresthesias, nausea, vomiting, hypertenion and paralysis. Luckily death is uncommon. Treatment is with intravenous calcium gluconate, analgesics and antivenin. [dermnetnz.org]

  A characteristic feature is pain. Initially the bite can go unnoticed or be perceived as a sharp pinprick. The pain can be local or spread proximally from a bite on the limb to the torso, causing chest or abdominal pain. [patient.info]

  Other signs and symptoms of a black widow or brown recluse spider bite may include abdominal or joint pain, fever, nausea, and headache. [medicinenet.com]

• Acute Abdomen

  Neurotoxic bites: causes of shock/hypertensive crises/acute abdomen, priapism, back pain, coronary heart disease, hypocalcaemia. Tarantula hairs: conjunctivitis, uveitis, corneal abrasion, dermatitis. [patient.info]

  Severe cases of latrodectism should be distinguished from acute abdomen, rabies, or tetanus. Spiders are identified by location and markings. [merckmanuals.com]

• Arthralgia

  Arthralgias, fever, chills, maculopapular rash, nausea, vomiting Potential associated signs of systemic toxicity Arthralgias, bronchorrhea, regional or generalized diaphoresis, fever, hypertension, hyperreflexia, regional lymphadenopathy, nausea, vomiting [aafp.org]

  Systemic effects (eg, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, arthralgias, myalgias, generalized rash, seizures, hypotension, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis, renal failure) are responsible for all reported fatalities. [merckmanuals.com]

• Piloerection

  Localised sweating and piloerection appears at the bite site, with pain radiating up the bitten extremity to the trunk. [patient.info]

  Latrodectus bites are painful and may rapidly result in local erythema, sweating and piloerection at the wound site. [dermnetnz.org]

  Within 1 h after envenomation, there may be progression to persistent local pain, diaphoresis, erythema, and piloerection at the bite site. Sometimes remote and/or systemic symptoms develop. [merckmanuals.com]

  They include, progressively: Piloerection, sweating, muscle twitching (facial and intercostal, initially), salivation, lacrimation, tachycardia, and then (fairly rapidly) severe hypertension. [anaesthesia.med.usyd.edu.au]

• Irritability

  Irritant and allergic reactions occur in the human host. Ticks and mites may transmit other contagious diseases. Spider bites Few spiders are dangerous to humans. [dermnetnz.org]

  Spider bites can be hard to detect and are easily confused with other arachnids, insect bites or skin irritations. [balancemebeautiful.com]

  The center of the irritation also had developed into a hardened spot. She went to her family physician, but the doctor was uncertain what was causing the irritation. "By the next day I was sick, really sick" James said. [peninsulaclarion.com]

  Full latrodectism may also include tachycardia, hypertension, irritability, psychosis, priapism, acute kidney injury, respiratory compromise and cardiac failure. [patient.info]

• Tremor

  Symptoms of a spider bite may include vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramping, drooling, tremors, paralysis, blood pressure changes, fever, blood disorders and kidney failure. [cuteness.com]

  Symptoms and Types Early, marked paralysis Abdominal rigidity Severe muscle pain in the back, chest and abdomen, manifested by howling and loud vocalizations Muscle tremors and cramping Trouble breathing, respiratory collapse due to abdominal muscle paralysis [petmd.com]

  Their venom is highly toxic to dogs and may cause cramping, tremors, drooling or vomiting. Brown Widow The brown widow, a relative of the black widow, is found in the southern states, according to Clemson University. [care.com]

  As the venom works through the body tremors, weakness, and in severe cases labored breathing and chest pain follow. These symptoms will be amplified in very young children and the elderly. [markleyspest.com]

  Symptoms include severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, and tremor. In severe cases symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, faintness, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties. [onhealth.com]

• Tingling

  There may be nausea, vomiting, headaches, sweating, twitching, shaking, and tingling sensations of the hand. The bite itself may not be prominent and may be overshadowed by the systemic reaction. [healthcentral.com]

  Look for redness spreading away from the bite, drainage from the bite, increase in pain, numbness/tingling, or a discoloration around the bite that looks like a halo or a bullseye. [verywell.com]

  In addition: the skin around the bite may swell there might be itching or burning numbness or a tingling sensation may occur around the wound Bites by some spiders, such as a widow or a recluse, cause more severe symptoms. [medicalnewstoday.com]

  Signs and Symptoms: Pain at the bite site Tingling around the mouth Profuse sweating Copious secretions of saliva Abdominal pain Muscular twitching Breathing difficulty Confusion leading to unconsciousness Treatment: Keep the casualty at rest, reassured [australiawidefirstaid.com.au]

  The local reactions of a spider bite can include: A redness to the area Swelling around or on the area Itching and burning sensations Pain is a common local reaction to spider bites Numbness and or tingling Discolouration of the skin other than redness [balancemebeautiful.com]

• Paresthesia

  The result is agonising abdominal pain and muscle spasm, headache, paresthesias, nausea, vomiting, hypertenion and paralysis. Luckily death is uncommon. Treatment is with intravenous calcium gluconate, analgesics and antivenin. [dermnetnz.org]

  Arthralgias, fever, chills, maculopapular rash, nausea, vomiting Potential associated signs of systemic toxicity Arthralgias, bronchorrhea, regional or generalized diaphoresis, fever, hypertension, hyperreflexia, regional lymphadenopathy, nausea, vomiting, paresthesias [aafp.org]

  Symptoms tend to resolve over 1 to 3 days, but residual spasms, paresthesias, agitation, and weakness can last weeks to months. Tarantula bites are extremely rare and nonvenomous with North or South American ("New World") tarantulas. [merckmanuals.com]

• Vertigo

  Following this, tachycardia, hypertension, profuse diaphoresis, hypothermia, salivation, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, visual disturbances, priapism (especially in young boys) and (rarely) death. [patient.info]

There is no established treatment for more extensive necrosis. [en.wikipedia.org]

Bear in mind that this treatment method can be quite painful, depending on the strength and quantity of venom that has been injected. [greenhomepest.com]

Seek medical treatment for small children and adults with severe symptoms. [terminix.com]

No standard treatment to date First aid treatment: wash the bite area with soap and water; apply a cold pad to reduce inflammation; seek professional medical treatment ( CDC website - Venomous Spiders ) Topical treatment: pain control, anti inflammatory [pathologyoutlines.com]

Insect bites and spider bites – home treatment. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2008;21(2):106-10. WebMD Spider bites – home treatment. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006 Jan; 19(1): 50–62. Pharmacogn Rev. 2013 Jul-Dec; 7(14): 179–187. MayoClinic. Honey. [healthyandnaturalworld.com]

What to Expect if You Get Bitten (Prognosis) "About 10% of brown recluse bites cause moderate or greater tissue damage and scarring, but the vast majority heal very nicely without medical intervention. [desertusa.com]

Many therapies for necrotic lesions have been advocated but there is little clear evidence of their effectiveness and spider bites are often incorrectly asumed to be the cause of necrotic ulcers. [ 6 ] Prognosis Antivenom has dramatically cut mortality [patient.info]

Prognosis Mortality/morbidity Data regarding mortality rates are not reliable because diagnostic tests to detect brown recluse venom in tissue are not readily available. [emedicine.medscape.com]

What is the prognosis for a brown recluse spider bite? The majority of brown recluse bites cause little permanent skin damage, although, in some cases, moderate to severe tissue destruction is possible. [emedicinehealth.com]

Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2012;50:911 ) Sites Any body site can be affected, especially exposed skin Cutaneous manifestations occur in around 80% cases around the site of bite, predominantly in the lower limbs ( Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 1989;31:403 ) Etiology [pathologyoutlines.com]

Etiology Dermonecrotic arachnidism has been described in association with several species of Loxosceles spiders, but, in the United States, L reclusa venom is the most potent and the most commonly involved. [emedicine.medscape.com]

[…] been frequently advocated for treating brown recluse spider bites, 33 although neither systemic nor intralesional steroids have been observed to alter lesion size or prevent skin necrosis. 34,35 Furthermore, steroids could be contraindicated if the etiology [woundsresearch.com]

The diagnosis of brown recluse spider bite is overused for dermonecrotic wounds of uncertain etiology. Ann Emerg Med. 2002;39:544–6. 4. Vetter RS, Bush SP. [aafp.org]

[…] spider envenomation causing necrotic ulcers consists of one verified bite in a patient with a pre-existing medical condition known to cause ulcer disease, rabbit model bioassays, and many purported envenomations that could easily be ascribed to other etiologies [bugguide.net]

"Epidemiology of Latrodectism". Toxicon. 2 : 93–102. doi : 10.1016/0041-0101(64)90009-1. [en.wikipedia.org]

[…] eosinophils, but other histologic features vary: neutrophilic vasculitis with hemorrhage, arterial wall necrosis or eschar covered ulceration and subcutaneous necrosis Terminology Also called loxoscelism ( Loxosceles reclusa ), necrotizing arachnidism Epidemiology [pathologyoutlines.com]

According to the state of Alaska Epidemiology Web site, hobo spiders are indigenous to western Europe and are believed to have been accidentally introduced to the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s. [peninsulaclarion.com]

The global epidemiology, syndromic classification, management, and prevention of spider bites. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004;71:239–50. 17. Merchant ML, Hinton JF, Geren CR. [aafp.org]

Epidemiology US frequency Although various species of Loxosceles are found throughout the world, L reclusa is found in the United States from the East to the West Coast, with predominance in the south. [emedicine.medscape.com]

Pathophysiology Brown recluse spider bites can cause significant cutaneous injury with tissue loss and necrosis. Less frequently, more severe reactions develop, including systemic hemolysis, coagulopathy, renal failure, and, rarely, death. [emedicine.medscape.com]

In particular the misdiagnosis of infections and other skin ailments are commonly attributed to brown recluses. [19] Pathophysiology [ edit ] A primary concern of the bite of a spider is the effect of its venom. [en.wikipedia.org]

[…] and is noted to be more severe in patients exposed to higher venom doses. 7 Notably, the size of the lesion caused by the bite does not predict the development of systemic symptoms. 12 After 72 hours, new systemic symptoms are unlikely to develop. 17 Pathophysiology [woundsresearch.com]

[ edit ] Efforts to prevent bites include clearing clutter and the use of pesticides. [1] OSHA recommends that workers take following measures to prevent spider bite: Wear a long-sleeved shirt, hat, gloves, and boots when handling boxes, firewood, lumber [en.wikipedia.org]

For papular urticaria, topical antimicrobials are useful to prevent secondary bacterial infection, and oral antihistamines may relieve the pruritus. [apps.who.int]

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic recommend using a cool pack to prevent swelling and pain around the bite area. 7 The cool temperature helps prevent blood rushing to the wound which can, in turn, cause the poison to spread further. [healthyandnaturalworld.com]

Spider bites can be prevented by simple measures. Early species identification and specific management can prevent most serious sequelae of spider bites. [aafp.org]

This will clean the wound and help prevent infection. 2. Apply a cool compress, such as an ice pack. This will ease the pain of the bite and help the swelling go down for 20 to 30 min. 3. [standard.co.uk]