Spider bites are usually harmless. In fact, many bites attributed to spiders turn out to have been infected by other bugs.
Skin infections have also been mistaken as spider bites. Only a few types of spiders have fangs strong enough to penetrate the skin and venom lethal enough to cause severe disorders. These include the black widow spider and brown recluse spider.
Black widow spider bite symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping, while brown recluse spider bites can cause the skin around the bite to die. Both of these spiders never usually come into contact with people because they live in undisturbed areas.
Black widow spiders are poisonous spiders found throughout the world, but they are most common in Southern and Western states of the United States. These are recognized by their shiny, black and hourglass-shaped red patches on the abdomen. Some spiders have simple red patched on their back.
They prefer to live in:
Sheds
Garages
Abandoned places
Woodpiles
A black widow’s spider bite is very rare because they are not usually aggressive. They only bite when they feel threatened. In most cases, bites aren’t serious, but they can be life-threatening at times. Immediate medical attention is required if a black widow spider has bitten you.
Symptoms of a black widow spider bite:
Pain: Begins within an hour of the bite and is present in the abdomen and back
Cramping: Abdominal cramping sometimes can be mistaken as appendicitis or rupture of appendix
Brown recluse spiders are venomous spiders usually found in the central and southern United States. These spiders have a characteristic dark brown, violin-shaped patch behind their head. They prefer to live in warm climates, and therefore can be found in warm places like:
Tennessee
Missouri
Arkansas
Kansas
Eastern Texas
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Brown recluse spiders are usually found in undistributed areas and they prefer to live indoors such as:
In basements or attics
Behind bookshelves
In dressers and rarely used cupboards
Although brown recluse spiders are poisonous, they rarely bite people. Still, if you are bitten by this spider, you should call your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room. While most brown recluse spider bites aren’t serious, they can be lethal in some cases.
Symptoms of a brown recluse spider bite
Pain increases during the first eight hours after the initial spider bite. The majority of people heal within one week after the spider bite
Rarely, the skin at the center of the bite might become dark and develop a deep ulcer
This ulcer usually stops growing typically after 10 days
Brown recluse spiders inhabit Central and Southern United States. It’s important to recognize what these spiders look like, because their venomous bites can cause severe pain and infection.
This patient is suffering from a brown recluse spider bite on the thumb of his left hand. This image was taken three days after the bite, and presented is progressive redness as well as tissue destruction.
The previous image depicted this patient's spider bite three days after the incident. Here, nine days after being bitten, this patient is suffering from severe tissue destruction due to the venom of the brown recluse spider.
The venom of a brown recluse spider can kill tissue, which is also called tissue necrosis. Here, we see localized tissue necrosis of the skin surrounding the site of a bite.
This patient suffered from a brown recluse spider bite to the chin for six months before he received surgical treatment. During this operation, dead tissue was removed and his wound was closed.
This is a close-up picture of the same tissue necrosis displayed in the previous image. This image was taken four months after the spider bite occurred.
Wolf spider bites
Wolf spiders can be found throughout the United States. Measuring 3 to 4 inches, these spiders look similar to tarantulas. They are mainly recognized by the 2 large eyes in the middle of the face, along with 6 smaller eyes.
Wolf spiders prefer to live in:
Sand and gravel
Around the bases of doors and windows
In house plants
Symptoms of a wolf spider bite
Being bitten by a wolf spider can be a very painful experience:
The site becomes red and swollen
It may also lead to swollen lymph glands. Swelling will stay for several days
The bite can also cause tissue damage in rare cases
For some people, it may take up to 10 days to heal
Camel spider bites
Camel spiders are mainly found in very hot, desert climates. They are recognized by their characteristic sand color and a powerful pincer on the head. Camel spiders are attracted towards cooler and dark places and it can even be your shadow. Typically measuring 2 to 3 inches, these spiders run very fast and can even grow up to 6 to 8 inches in length in some places.
They are not venomous, but they have large jaws that can leave deeper wounds in skin. Due to an open wound, you may get an infection. Immediate medical treatment is required.
The initial bite is terribly painful
The surrounding tissues become swollen
If bitten by a camel spider, you may experience mild to intense bleeding
Banana spider bites
Banana spiders are 3 different types of spiders:
The Brazilian wandering spider (Poisonous)
The golden silk orb-weaver (Non-poisonous)
Argiope appensa (Non-poisonous)
They can be found in Asia, Africa, Australia, and southeastern US states such as Texas and North Carolina. Measuring 2 inches long, these spiders are similar to the black widow spider, but they are mildly venomous.
House spider species belong to the Tegenaria group. These include domestic spiders, common house spiders, giant house spiders, and hobo spiders. While others aren’t that aggressive, hobo spiders are very dangerous. They are mostly found in the Pacific Northwest. In indigenous Europe, they are mostly found in fields and rarely enter human habitations. Hobo spiders are very aggressive because they have very weak eye sight.
Giant house spiders are commonly found in houses and other man-made structures in Europe.
Symptoms of house spider bites
Pain at the site surrounding the wound
Possible swelling of tissues
Hardening of tissues surrounding the bitten area
Blisters may develop 24 to 48 hours after the bite
A scar forms in place of the scabbed-over ulcer 45 days after the bite
3 Making a diagnosis
Tests and diagnosis for spider bite are done based on history along with spider bite sy.
However, specific diagnosis is difficult to confirm.
Confirmation requires:
Eye witness of spider bite
Identification of the spider by expert
Exclusion of other possible causes
What do spider bites look like?
If you witnessed a spider biting you, it is then very easy to identify a spider bite. However, a wound may not appear immediately. It may take several hours to show up.
In order to identify, look for things like red welts, swelling, skin damage, or other troubling symptoms. It often looks like other insect bites. It looks like a red inflamed bump that may be painful or itchy.
Do spider bites itch?
Yes, spider bites are often itchy and uncomfortable. If bitten by a spider, you will develop a red, protruding bump at the site of the bite. It’s good to immediately clean the site using warm soapy water to prevent infection.
Apply a cold ice pack to reduce pain, itching, and inflammation. You can also take an antihistamine to reduce itching. If blisters are developing, apply antibiotic ointment as recommended by your doctor.
4 Treatment
Treatment for mild spider bite symptoms is usually not required.
However, some of the following methods are used to treat any spider bite:
Clean the area of bite with soapy water
Apply cold packs to the bite in order to reduce pain and inflammation
Take over the counter pain relievers
Observe the bite for signs of infection
Tetanus boosters are also recommended and antibiotics will be prescribed if any signs of infections are seen.
Some of the following steps or measures must be taken to prevent spider bites:
Wear long sleeves, hat, gloves, and boots when handling boxes or firewood, and when cleaning out sheds, garages, basements attics, and crawlspaces
Inspect and shake out garden gloves and shoes before wearing them
Use tight-fitting windows, doors, and sealing
Discard old boxes and clothing where spiders can live, remove piles of rocks, avoid storing firewood against the house, vacuum spiders and spider webs, and dispose of them in sealed bags to prevent re-entry into the house
6 Alternative and homeopathic remedies to cure spider bites
Some of the following home remedies can be followed to reduce spider bite symptoms:
Apply a cold compress to the affected area to reduce pain and inflammation
Wash the wound with warm soapy water
Wash the affected area with anti-septic liquid to prevent contamination
7 Lifestyle and coping
Although spider bites are usually not life-threatening some lifestyle methods can be taken to prevent further complications of spider bites.
They include:
Cleaning any bug bites with warm soapy water
Staying calm
Coping from spider bites does not take much time. Within 10 days, spider bites usually heal themselves.
Seek medical attention immediately if symptoms linger or worsen.
8 Risks and Complications
Although life-threatening spider bites are rare but risks of the person acquiring spider bite depends on the location of person.
Both black widow and brown recluse spiders prefer warm, dark and dry climate.
Black widow habitat
In United States black widow spider is mostly found in southwestern states. They prefer to live in
sheds,
garages,
unused spots
and woodpiles.
Brown recluse habitat
They are mostly found in southern Midwest and limited areas in south. They are usually found in undistributed areas they prefer to live indoors such as:
the clutter of basement or attics,
behind bookshelves
and dressers and rarely used cupboards.
Complication of spider bites are not very severe. In children and in older people with serious health problems these spider bites might cause severe complications.
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