SPIDER BITES
When Someone Is Bitten
• Keep calm. A spider bite does not mean instant death – in most cases you only need a painkiller, antihistamine and wound management. For button spiders, however, the patient should be taken to hospital immediately. Also, children should be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible after a bite.
• Try to catch the spider – this makes identification and treatment much easier.
• Wash the bite site with soap and water. Apply an ice pack.
• Wounds should be kept clean, and antiseptic cream applied regularly.
• All spider bite victims must go for a booster tetanus injection.
• If more severe symptoms appear, see a doctor immediately.
If possible identify the spider
• Black Widow/Button Spider: This is probably the most well-known South African spider, identified by the red hourglass on its round, black abdomen. Button spiders are found all over South Africa, and they usually reside in quiet, dark places. They rarely wander into houses, and most bites occur when the spider are disturbed in its hiding place. Button spiders have neurotoxic venom, which means that it attacks the central nervous system. Only female spiders have fangs large enough to pierce human skin. Bites are very painful and symptoms will appear shortly after the bite: Sweating, raised blood pressure, muscle pain and cramps, pain and weakness in the limbs, the face becomes contorted, flushed and sweaty with drooping eyelids and swollen lips. In severe cases the body will contort and shake uncontrollably. Button spider bites are usually treated in hospital with anti-venom and patients are usually well enough to go home after 24-48 hours. The good news is that no deaths from button spiders have been recorded in the last 50 years.
• Violin Spiders: Violin spiders are found all over South Africa. They are normally brownish with dark markings on their bodies, as well as a characteristic violin-shape on the front part. Bites are rare, and usually happen at night when the victim is sleeping. They have cytotoxic venom, which means that it destroys tissue. Bites are small and painless, but after a few hours the site swells up and becomes discoloured, which is followed by blistering and peeling of the skin – leaving an open wound. Untreated bites can lead to infections, septicaemia and necrosis – and usually surgery is needed to remove the dead tissue. No anti-venom is available for violin spider bites, and treatment is to prevent infection and promote healing.
• Sac Spiders: Sac spiders are yellowish with a black head. It is an aggressive spider and is responsible for most spider bites in South Africa. They are notorious for the nasty bite they give, and most bites occur during the night when an unsuspecting victim rolls over on a roaming spider. Sac spiders have cytotoxic venom – the bite is painless and looks like a mosquito bite. After a few days it is swollen and painful and eventually forms a large lesion. No anti-venom is available, but antibiotics are needed to treat the lesion and prevent infection and tissue damage. The wound can take up to four weeks to heal, but in severe cases it can take up to a decade for the area to recover. Hospitalisation is not necessary, but plastic surgery is sometimes needed to remove damaged tissue.
• Baboon Spider: Baboon spiders are generally not venemous, even though they can inflict a very painful bite. However, there are one species of baboon spider found in the Western Cape, Harpactira lightfooti, which has neurotoxic venom (similar to the black widow), causing severe symptoms such as pain, shock, vomiting, paleness and difficulty walking. They are frequently found in houses, but bites are fortunately very rare.
• Six-Eyes Sand Spider: These spiders are rare – they are found in desert areas and basically looks like a crab with sand stuck to its body. No human bites have been documented, but studies on rabbits have proven that these spiders might be lethal to humans, their bites causing massive tissue destruction and internal haemorrhaging.
REF: CFUZIM - www.cfuzim.com
