Spider Warning

[Paulp]

A study was done looking at patients admitted to hospital with lesions attributed to white tails. I think there were 11 or twelve patients and only one of these patients was actually able to recall being bitten by a spider and it was not collected so could not be positively identified. The causative factors for all the other lesions were identified and none were the result of spider venom.

Just found the abstract

AIM: To describe the clinical features, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of ulcers attributed to white-tail (WT) spider bites or necrotic arachnidism. METHODS: The study was a prospective case series of patients referred to the Hunter Area Toxicology Service (a tertiary referral toxicology unit servicing a population of 500 000) with an ulcer or skin lesion that had been attributed to either a suspected WT spider bite or necrotic arachnidism. Eleven patients with skin lesions or necrotic ulcers were referred between January 2000 and June 2002. RESULTS: In two patients that were inpatients in other hospitals, investigation and follow up was not possible. In both cases there was no history of spider bite and Staphylococcus aureus was cultured. In nine patients, a diagnosis other than spider bite was made following appropriate investigation and follow up, including: (i) two cases of dermatophytoses, (ii) three staphylococcal infections, (iii) one case of pyoderma gangrenosum, (iv) one case of cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa, (v) one case of Nocardia braziliensis and (vi) one infected diabetic ulcer. There was only one case where the person recalled seeing a spider bite them, but the patient did not collect the spider for identification. The median time to diagnosis was 3 weeks (interquartile range: 3-9 weeks) and 3.5 years in one case. Appropriate treatment was initiated once the correct diagnosis was made and all cases resolved. CONCLUSIONS: In this series, all cases initially referred as WT spider bites or necrotic arachnidism were found to have alternative diagnoses with appropriate investigations. This demonstrates that spider bites are an unlikely cause of necrotic ulcers and that all ulcers should be properly investigated with bacterial, fungal and mycobacterial cultures and skin biopsy for histopathology.

[kelpiekaye]

Read the links KelpieKaye. I suspect that the severe effects are not very common at all, but the stories are very exciting and spread like wildfire. Someone on this forum was bitten by a White Tail not long ago and she had no ill effects.

Huntsmen spiders and Daddy Long Legs also eat other spiders, but they are harmless. And yes, Daddy Long Legs CAN bite and NO they are not the world's most deadly spider. Their bite is harmless.

Will do Im always interested in bugs. Ask my mother who had a sleep in my room only to wake up with hundreds of baby Nursery Web spider all over her. They had hatched from a nest I had stashed in my room. I was maybe five at the time

[Bulldust]

I have a Bull Terrier girl here who was bitten by a white tail on one of her back toes a few years ago when she was young. Her whole leg blew up, and the flesh on the toe started dying, the pad fell off, the nail fell out and she was on Antirobe tablets for a few weeks, plus i gave her foot salt baths a few times a day, the toe was saved but its slightly thicker than the rest, and the nail has never grown back. Vet said the could be deadly to dogs if they bite around the head and neck

I was bitten by a white tail a few months ago on the side of the thigh and could barely walk for weeks and had a very gross hole in my leg

My 7yr old son was bitten by a redback on the foot a few months ago also and his foot and leg up to his knee blew up, had to be on antibiotics for a week and its now fine.

I will kill any poisonous spider when i find them.

[all that glitters]

I was bitten by a white tail on the back of my upper leg and on my ankle (2 separate occasions) we used to get HEAPS in our house in summertime except thank goodness this summer just gone we barely saw any. I had nothing more than localized itching and pain and a large looking pimple type blister with two tiny dots on it (the bite marks) and it healed over a few weeks.

I guess it depends how you react to the venom and now that I know, whether there was any bacteria on their fangs etc.

Either way I was SO glad we didn't many of the buggers this summer just gone cos it was Shylas first summer here, and the thought of her getting bitten.. no thanks

[felix]

I have a Bull Terrier girl here who was bitten by a white tail on one of her back toes a few years ago when she was young. Her whole leg blew up, and the flesh on the toe started dying, the pad fell off, the nail fell out and she was on Antirobe tablets for a few weeks, plus i gave her foot salt baths a few times a day, the toe was saved but its slightly thicker than the rest, and the nail has never grown back. Vet said the could be deadly to dogs if they bite around the head and neck

I was bitten by a white tail a few months ago on the side of the thigh and could barely walk for weeks and had a very gross hole in my leg

My 7yr old son was bitten by a redback on the foot a few months ago also and his foot and leg up to his knee blew up, had to be on antibiotics for a week and its now fine.

I will kill any poisonous spider when i find them.

If you don't mind me asking, how do you know that your dog was bitten by a white tailed spider? Did you actually see it, or did you just assumed by the reaction.

And your son was lucky, redbacks can be fatal, especially for kids.

[ravenau1]

I'm arachnaphobic so I won't look at the first post just incase there is a picture but i just wanted to say that years ago my Mum was bitten by a white taled spider (confirmed). She was living in a remote area of WA and ended up being flown to Perth for treatment and was in extreme pain. She had redness and swelling that started off just around the bite site then spread all over her arm (while she was waiting they told her to use a ballpoint pen and draw around the outside of the redness at certain intervals so they could see how quickly it had spread etc) and the redness was really hot to touch. They ended up putting her on a heavy dose of antibiotics and she was in hospital for a few days.

I don't like killing things either, and spiders (even though they terrify me) go through a 'catch and release' program here, unless they are a white tailed spider or a red back.

[Ravyk]

Their fangs are also not large enough to penetrate adult human skin.

That is actually not true. Daddy long legs fangs can pierce human skin. Mythbusters did a segment on it ages ago, and got arachnologist on the show. The clip is on YouTube and Adam actually gets bitten by one.

[felix]

Ok, I have to clear few things here.

True daddy longlegs are not spiders at all and don't have any fangs and venomous glands, so they can't bite even of they would like to.

However, there is a spider family, that look like daddy longlegs. They indeed have very short fangs, but they could probably penetrate the skin. This was proved by Mythbusters. There is no evidence whatsoever that the venom from these spiders is dangerous to humans.

I find it amazing that people actually know which spider bit them. I was bitten many times, and I believe it was by spiders judging by skin reaction, but I wouldn't have a clue which species was it.

[Ravyk]

Ok, I have to clear few things here.

True daddy longlegs are not spiders at all and don't have any fangs and venomous glands, so they can't bite even of they would like to.

However, there is a spider family, that look like daddy longlegs. They indeed have very short fangs, but they could probably penetrate the skin. This was proved by Mythbusters. There is no evidence whatsoever that the venom from these spiders is dangerous to humans.

I find it amazing that people actually know which spider bit them. I was bitten many times, and I believe it was by spiders judging by skin reaction, but I wouldn't have a clue which species was it.

Yes exactly! I was going to come clarify that because I was on my phone before. There are two other species known as the daddy long legs, harvestmen [which are also arachnids but not spiders] and crane flies both which are fangless and venomless

I know what spider bit me because I saw/found the spider just after the bite occured. I did get bitten the other day by a spider whilst cleaning...no idea what though.

[Dame Aussie]

I was bitten by a small brown jumping spider when I was 5. It turned into a horrible, infected crater at least a centimetre deep in the top of my arm

Not nice, I know what it looked like because I felt it bite me and saw it jump off my arm.

I hate spiders.

[Sheridan]

Wow, guess I shouldn't have killed all those redbacks today, especially given they were near the dogs kennels.

[Kissindra]

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010...-be-afraid.html