Wilderness: Black Widow and Brown Recluse Spider Bites
Medical Author:
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEPDr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical EditorMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Spider Bite OverviewBlack widow spiders (Latrodectus mactans) may be black or brown with a leg span of approximately one to two inches. Most can be identified by a red hourglass marking on the abdomen. They are located throughout the United States. Their toxin causes nerve cell dysfunction and muscle cell twitching. Brown recluse spiders (Loxosceles reclusa) are tan to dark brown with a leg span of approximately 1 inch. Many have a violin-shaped marking on the chest. They are located mainly in the south central United States. Both species are common in North America and throughout the world. Human contact with these spiders is usually accidental. |
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Wilderness: Black Widow and Brown Recluse Spider Bite
Black Widow Spider Bite Overview
Of the 30,000 types of spiders, the black widow is probably the one best known and feared. Although spiders are often blamed for all kinds of symptoms, from local itching to diffuse rashes, the fact is that spiders rarely bite humans, and in fact, most spider bites do not even break the skin.
The bites of very large spiders such as tarantulas can be painful. Otherwise, in the temperate regions, the only spiders to be feared are the black widow and the brown recluse.
- The black widow is a medium-sized spider whose body is about a half-inch long. The name is derived from the mistaken belief that the female invariably kills the male after mating. Although the spider is mostly found in the southern
United States, it may be seen throughout the US. Five species are common to the US, with two of them being the most common:
- The southern black widow has the shiny, black, globular abdomen with the...
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Spider Envenomations, Brown Recluse »
In the United States, reports of severe envenomations by brown spiders began to appear in the late 1800s, and today, in endemic areas, brown spiders continue to be of significant clinical concern.
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