Pelican Parts Forums - Brown recluse Spider Bite

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jesus. those pics look like they could be something out of the latest horror flick! I sure hope things turn out o.k.

just to think that last night I was changing a few light bulbs in some recessed can lights in my house and started to think "gee, I wonder if there's some sort of spider in there that doesn't like me sticking my hands in its 'home' "

According to the acedemic literature, don't believe the hype . . .

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Bite Symptoms
The physical reaction to a brown recluse spider bite depends on the amount of venom injected and an individual's sensitivity to it. Some people are unaffected by a bite, whereas others experience immediate or delayed effects as the venom kills the tissues (necrosis) at the site of the bite. Many brown recluse bites cause just a little red mark that heals without event. The vast majority of brown recluse bites heal without severe scarring (http://spiders.ucr.edu/avoidbites.html).

Initially, the bite may feel like a pinprick or go unnoticed. Some may not be aware of the bite for 2 to 8 hours. Others feel a stinging sensation followed by intense pain. Infrequently, some victims experience general systemic reactions that may include restlessness, generalized itching, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or shock. A small white blister usually initially rises at the bite site surrounded by a swollen area. The affected area enlarges and becomes red, and the tissue is hard to the touch for some time. The lesion from a brown recluse spider bite is a dry, blue-gray or blue-white, irregular sinking patch with ragged edges and surrounding redness--termed the "red, white, and blue sign." The lesion usually is 1½ inches by 2¾ inches or smaller. Characteristics of a bite are further discussed at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/08/05/hlsa0805.htm.

The bite of the brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Fatalities are extremely rare, but bites are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor physical condition. When there is a severe reaction to the bite, the site can erupt into a "volcano lesion" (a hole in the flesh due to damaged, gangrenous tissue). The open wound may range from the size of an adult's thumbnail to the span of a hand. The dead tissue gradually sloughs away, exposing underlying tissues. The sunken, ulcerating sore may heal slowly up to 6 to 8 weeks. Full recovery may take several months and scarring may remain.

It is difficult for a physician to accurately diagnose a "brown recluse bite" based simply on wound characteristics. It is absolutely necessary to have the spider for a positive identification. Necrotic wounds can result from a variety of agents such as bacteria (Staphylococcus, "flesh-eating" Streptococcus, etc.), viruses, fungi, and arthropods (non-recluse spiders, centipedes, mites, ticks, wasps, bedbugs, kissing bugs, biting flies, etc.). Necrotic conditions also can be caused by vascular and lymphatic disorders, drug reactions, underlying diseases states, and a variety of other agents. An annotated list of conditions that could be mistaken for a brown recluse spider bite is available at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/08/05/hlsa0805.htm. Misdiagnosis of lesions as brown recluse bites can delay appropriate care.

They're in Oregon guys...not as numerous as in other states, but they are here. Be careful...

You get bit by a Black Widow and you will be in serious pain for a few days. The biggest problem you will notice is that your breathing will be very difficult - all the muscles in your body get affected. people with heart and lung problems or are very old or very young are most susceptable.

how big is a brown recluse?

thanks again for the heads up. i live in the friggen country. i gotta buy a condo in san fran.

favorite childhood weapon against a black widow in texas. lighter and a can of WD40. my dad, always wondered why his can was empty.

Interesting stuff. Yes they have 'em here. A friend of mine who's an avid cyclist got bitten by one a few weeks ago while on a ride in the Santa Monica mountains. thing bit right through his cycling jersey and got him on the abdomen. He still has a mark - the tissue didn't quite rot in the way shown but he was oozing pus and fluid from the wound for about two weeks. Nasty stuff!

Speaking of the litle critters...I was playing Poker a week ago Thursday....When I got up I had an excruciating pain in my shin and it was all red..I thought well it just must be the way I was sitting...went to dinner...eeech....went home and sat watching TV when I started to feel all achy, and hot...then I thought yep a little spider got me...Friday I was still yeeechy but better, on Saturday I noticed the red was going away so I went to the MD...he gave antibotics and the red soon went away... then Monday night I felt like food poisoning...

Recluses are in CA too....they have a bacteria in their saliva and to the extent the poison travels it causes the tissue to die...the key to any Spider bite is to go the MD quickely and get aintibotics..

I never even felt the bite...this was the second time I got bitten by something that I didn't feel.... that has caused me trouble...the first time was behind my knee and my leg swelled up by the 3rd day...and it ouuuzzzzzed puss for a week , but I suffered no serious loss of tissue.

Quote:

Originally posted by vash
how big is a brown recluse?

thanks again for the heads up. i live in the friggen country. i gotta buy a condo in san fran.

favorite childhood weapon against a black widow in texas. lighter and a can of WD40. my dad, always wondered why his can was empty.

They are pretty small, small enough to not appear threatening.

Quote:

Adult brown recluse spiders have a leg span about the size of a quarter. Their body is about 3/8 inches long and about 3/16 inches wide.

When my wife gets back from her trip, she has my digital cam, I'll take a pic of one with something next to it for size comparisons.

The biggest I've seen have had a legspan close to the size of a half dollar, even though that quote says "about" the size of a quarter.

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Originally posted by porsche356a
I call this unverified.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/brownrecluse.asp

There was a spider show on Discovery channel a few years back that showed the results of a Recluse bite, which were very similar to the pictures from above in terms of damage.

My wife also claims to of gone to school with a girl who was bitten on the calf, and the scars and damage are still visible to this day, over 15 years ago.

For those of you who don't believe they can cause that much damage...take a look here.

I hate spiders with a passion! I'll go out of my way to smash them. they just give me the willies something fierce. I suppose they would be my Achilles Heel. :eek:

Randy

I don't doubt the spider can cause such damage (although rare). I had a friend that died as a result of a brown recluse bite.

What I question about this thread is the personal connection the poster had with the bite as presented.

These images have circulated the net, but never been verified as the result of a brown recluse spider.

Quote:

Originally posted by porsche356a
I don't doubt the spider can cause such damage (although rare). I had a friend that died as a result of a brown recluse bite.

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Deaths from brown recluse spiders have been reported only in children younger than 7 years.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fulltext/10729.htm

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The brown recluse can cause a nasty wound, but there is not a single confirmed death in the United States from a brown recluse spider, according to Richard S. Vetter, the leading expert in the field who found in Barger the collaborator he had been looking for

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97804&page=1

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Despite the fact that lots of people believe that brown recluses are deadly, there are only about 8 reported deaths from possible brown recluse bites in the medical literature, Philip Anderson states that there is still not one VERIFIED death from a brown recluse bite and none of the alleged fatal cases are convincing.

http://spiders.ucr.edu/hyperbole2003.html

http://spiders.ucr.edu/necrotic.html

That Richard S. Vetter seems to be a leading authority on Recluse spiders, and the mis-diagnosis of their bites. He goes to say that so many wounds that lead to necrosis are almost always blamed on the Recluse spider, even though the recluse may not be indigenous to the area.

Here's a picture that shows the size of a large adult, roughly the leg span of a half dollar, like I've witnessed in my own home.

http://bluegtzhome.com/brown_recluse.jpg

Jack -

She was bitten by a spider in her abdomen near her liver (this was in 93).

The wound necrotized, and the resulting secondary infection caused her liver to fail. The process took six months.

I suppose "technically" the bite didn't kill her. Seems to me it did.

I elect Jack as the boards Spider consultant. :)

Seth,
I can't vouch for my buddies truth in the e-mail he sent me. He has always been straight so I had no reason to disbelieve him yet. The thing that put me over the edge is that I know of a few people personally that have endured the effcts of one of these critters bites and the results where pretty nasty.

My bud's story may be legit, it may not be. But with what I have personally seen, the "myth" e-mail conveys a message that should make you stand and take notice.

I for one don't believe most of what I hear. Unfortunately there are far too many bull****ters out there.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob's Flat-Six
I elect Jack as the boards Spider consultant. :)

Heheh, as hard as it is to believe, I love spiders.

It makes it hard on the wife and kid that I have to personally identify a spider before I allow it to be killed. With the Recluse being such a hard spider to identify in it's natural habitat(seeing a small brown spider scurrying across the floor doesn't appear threatening), I know they get tired of me asking for a flashlight before I decide whether to let it live or die :D

Unfortunately, I killed 3 Recluse today alone, 2 adults 1 juvenile......

Quote:

Originally posted by porsche356a
Jack -

She was bitten by a spider in her abdomen near her liver (this was in 93).

The wound necrotized, and the resulting secondary infection caused her liver to fail. The process took six months.

I suppose "technically" the bite didn't kill her. Seems to me it did.

A ton of necrotising wounds have been 'mis-diagnosed' as a Brown Recluse bite, as most doctors only see the Brown Recluse as being able to inflict necrotising wounds.

Which may lead to the original expert assertion that there has never been a confirmed actual case of death. Lack of evidence, so-to-speak.

That's the reason I questioned it, as the Recluse is not known as a fatal insect, like the Widow and the Funnel Web are known for.

Quote:

Originally posted by 88BlueTSiQuest
Heheh, as hard as it is to believe, I love spiders.

Oh Really, I couldn't tell :)

Jack, I don't like to kill stuff either. Most the time a daddy long legs or whatever gets put out the back door.