There are thousands of different types of spiders in the world, but only a few spiders are capable of harming a human beyond an annoyingly itchy bite mark and the black widow spider is probably the best known of the spiders that can harm a human being; however the brown recluse bite is a close second in terms of notoriety. The brown recluse bite (spider) lives only in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Though other members of the recluse family live in other parts of the country and are often mistaken for this deadly spider, the spider only very rarely has been found outside its native states.
The Brown Recluse Bite
The brown recluse spider can be identified by the unique violin like marking on its back. The spider is also two shades of brown, the violin marking being a darker brown. The spider has relatively long legs compared to the size of its body.
Like most spiders, the brown recluse is not normally an aggressive animal. It only attacks when startled or threatened. Because of this, bites from this type of spider are extremely rare. Any bite from this spider must be taken very seriously because of the poisonous nature of the venom. Though the quantities delivered by a spider bite are very small, the potency can make up for it in this case. Because of this, the bites are much more serious when they happen to children who are more at risk of death because of their smaller body mass.
In adults, the spider’s bite will kill the tissue around the bite area. The venom also causes an immune system response which causes inflammation of the area around the bite. Each person will react slightly differently to the bite because of the differences in each person’s immune system. Left untreated, the reactions from the spider bite can lead to coma or kidney failure.
In the event of a brown recluse bite, the area should be treated immediately. The bite should be elevated above the heart and ice should be applied to the wound. There is no antivenom available for the spider bites. This means that any medical intervention simply involves treating the symptoms but cannot remove or counteract the venom from the infected person. The area around the bite where the tissue dies will need to be closely monitored and may require a doctor to remove the infected area.
Because of the potential impact of the brown recluse bites, they should be taken seriously. Children should be advised to be cautious in areas where the brown recluse resides. Spiders in these areas should be removed if there is any potential that they are brown recluses. Any Brown Recluse Bite should be treated with caution as well.