Posted on 12/04/2020 6:03:37 AM PST by Red Badger
(Alvesgaspar/Wikimedia commons/CC BY-SA 3.0) ===============================================================
A tiny brown invasive species of spider that's creeping its way across the UK has a dangerous reputation for dissolving flesh, one that many experts have argued isn't deserved.
There's now compelling evidence suggesting that stories of the false widow spider (Steatoda nobilis) causing horrid skin infections has at least some basis in fact.
The false widow has called the UK home ever since it was spotted on its shores in the 1870s, most likely having hitched a ride from Madeira and the Canary Islands off the African coast.
In recent decades its range has widened to reach as far as Ireland. Given it loves a warm home as much as we do, encounters with the eight-legged migrant have only increased as more people have been forced to stay indoors in 2020.
Unfortunately, not all meetings are friendly ones.
"About 10 species of spiders common in north-western Europe have fangs strong enough to pierce human skin and deliver venom, but only one of them, the recent invasive noble false widow spider, is considered of medical importance," says John Dunbar, a zoologist at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway.
In most cases, the worst you might expect from a false widow spider bite is a few hours of pain around the injection site, and maybe a day or two of stiff joints. No worse than a wasp sting, really.
It's not the venom we need to be concerned about though – it's the risk posed by bacteria found on its fangs.
Every now and then a story will hit UK headlines of an arachnid bite leaving victims with something far worse than a throbbing finger. Swollen hands, rotting holes of pus, threats of amputation, or even deaths have provided ample nightmare fuel.
Though formal identification isn't always possible, the false widow typically cops the blame regardless.
Experts have understandably come to the spider's defence, arguing that even if it is guilty of leaving a couple of holes, it's the victim who supplies the necrotising bacteria by scratching at the site with dirty fingernails.
Hard evidence in support of either explanation has been scarce. So Dunbar's team collected specimens of false widows along with some lace-webbed (Amaurobius similis) and giant house spiders (Eratigena atrica) from gardens and pathways, and took them back to the lab.
There the arachnids had their bodies and chelicerae (appendages by their mouth parts) swabbed for bacteria, and venom collected from the false widows.
The venom was used to test suggestions that the venom might help keep their fangs sterile enough to prevent them from inoculating victims with a dose of germs as they bite.
They don't, it turns out.
RNA analysis did reveal a rich variety of microbes present on the spiders. Nearly a dozen genera were identified in total; out of 22 bacterial species found on false widows, 12 were potentially pathogenic to humans.
"Our study demonstrates that spiders are not just venomous but are also carriers of dangerous bacteria capable of producing severe infections," says NUI Galway microbiologist, Neyaz Khan.
We're not exactly talking plague-spreading monsters here, with most of the microbes of a variety you'd find just about anywhere (many including our own bodies).
There were, however, a handful that demonstrated worrying grades of resistance to antibiotics - that is where the real concerns arise.
"The biggest threat is that some of these bacteria are multi-drug resistant, making them particularly difficult to treat with regular medicine," says Khan.
Thanks in part to our overreliance on antibiotics in both medicine and in maintaining the health of livestock, drug resistant 'superbugs' are a rapidly emerging threat we need to take seriously.
The good news is all of the microbes could be treated with a course of ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic. For now, at least.
Knowing a spider's bite can transfer superbugs shouldn't make us fear spiders – it's a risk we increasingly face from many facets of life, after all. Besides, the chances of a bite for the vast majority of people are small, let alone of developing a deadly infection.
But understanding the potential for a drug-resistant infection from even a couple of tiny punctures could help save lives.
"This is something that health care professionals should consider from now on," says Khan.
This research was published in Scientific Reports.
Democrats ruin everything!
Oh wait, wrong thread....
Wow, what a fun story.
They’re bigger in Texas.
Hermit spiders in FL do something similar.
I read up on the Brown Recluse spider before moving to KY. My understanding is that it is not venom that is responsible for the really scary looking bites, but a form of flesh eating bacteria.
Sounds like this is it’s UK counterpart. And yeah, sometimes it’s just a minor bite, and sometimes it’s, well, just google brown recluse bite in images.
I used to work in a place that had brown recluses everywhere......................
Can we figure out how to make them wear masks?
Spidey always wears a mask.................
I was bitten by a brown recluse 25 years ago when we lived in California. I still have itching where that bite occurred. I was really sick for two days until a co-worker looked at the bite area and told me I needed to have the bite mark removed. It looks like a target. Grey in the middle and red around. I had it removed and was on antibiotics for 10 days. I recovered with no apparent side effects, except for the itching that frequently happens these days.
They are nothing to mess with. The first night after being bitten I had the chills so badly that I passed out for a couple of hours. The second night I had projectile vomiting. (My husband was out of town those couple of days or I would have had him look at my back) The third day is when I went to the doctor. The spider had set up shop behind the toilet tank in our bathroom. I did remember that I felt like my back had been hit by a large water droplet when I took off the shower cap that day. My husband found the spider and killed it. Perfect violin on it’s back. Anytime you get unbearable itching somewhere on your body, check for that target. Get to the doctor ASAP.
“Hermit spiders in FL do something similar.”
Brown Recluse?
Also..Anytime you get unbearable itching somewhere on your body, check your date schedule for the last several days................
Have you seen that picture of a bite on a thumb? I’ve heard that they get worse every day for a while.
I was at a friend’s house and pulled a bowl down from a cabinet. There was a brown recluse in it about the size of a half dollar in the bottom that couldn’t get out. The sides were too slippery. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen (I’ve seen a lot of black widows, but I’m not really worried about them). It was oddly very pretty. And then I killed it.
I’ve heard it’s hard to kill them with chemicals because they don’t clean themselves and, therefore, don’t ingest them.
BTW, my friend was a very “back to nature” family. Their cabin was home built and there were big spaces between the floorboards. We were in a band together and during practice it was not unusual to lose a guitar pick through the floor.
Original Ditko artwork. I always liked him more than Kirby.
The recluse spider does the same thing.
Spider bites often spread a MRSA like infection. Might be a useful practice to immediately micro-cauterize a bite wound.
Rather than admit that I'm afraid of spiders, I just say that we can not coexist and so I kill them whenever I see them....
Thats why I love dirt dauber wasps. They kill spiders...............
A Tens Unit is a good investment.
The lowest setting usually works for brown recluse bites.
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