Graham & Kath

Thought you would all like to see what happen when a recluse spider bites you (by the way dunno where it comes from as some kind person e-mailed it to me)

Hope your not all eating your dinner while reading this YUK!!!!!!!!!

Graham

TraceyW

:scared: :scared: where's the bucket!! :scared: :scared:

debsy

Yeeeuck:scared:
I shall be avoiding those at all costs!!!!:scared:


Debs

Paul&Ann-Marie

ok, what is it ? and are there any within 200 miles of brisbane ?

I simply MUST know this lol.

Paul

Simone

lol

Recluse or fiddleback spiders; Genus Loxosceles.

Recluse spiders are widespread throughout the world, but are not native to Australia. However, a few specimens were accidentally introduced here in the early part of the 20th century and were again reported from Adelaide and Sydney in the 1970's. We do not know how common or how widely distributed they are in Australia.

Particularly in North and South America, recluse spiders are the major cause of necrotic arachnidism. Bites by these spiders can cause two medically important conditions; loxoscelism and viscerocutaneous loxoscelism.

Loxoscelism is a potentially severe disease caused by the bite of the recluse spider. The principle effect is local skin damage, caused by direct effects of venom components. In a typical case, the victim is often unaware of being bitten. Many bites occur in bed at night, while the victim is asleep. They then develop an area of red skin which becomes uncomfortable. It may start to blister and discolour, often to a blue-black colour. This discoloured area is skin which is dying. The severity and extent of skin damage may progress over several days to a week or more. In severe cases, large areas of skin may be involved and there may be "skip lessions"; areas of affected skin distant from the bite site, such as elsewhere on the bitten limb. Often, during the first 24-48 hours, the patient feels generally unwell and may have a fever, nausea, headache or joint pains. This may all seem a bit like a severe cold or a mild flu. By the end of the first week there may be extensive areas of severe skin damage, but in most cases, the damage is far more localised, with just a local, painful skin ulcer. Healing is very slow and characterised by apparent healing of affected skin, followed by further breakdown.

Viscero-cutaneous Loxoscelism is similar to Loxoscelism, but far more severe, because in addition to the skin damage and general flu-like symptoms, there are severe, sometimes fatal effects on vital organs. Blood cells are destroyed, blood clotting occurs incorrectly, resulting in a bleeding tendency, organs such as the kidneys, liver, heart and lungs are damaged and a complex series of organ failures may occur. This form of loxoscelism used to have a 30% death rate, though survival is more likely with modern intensive care medicine.

In North America there is no antivenom to treat loxoscelism. Many treatments have been tried, but most have been ineffective. Even today, there is argument amongst American doctors about how best to treat this disease. Early surgery to clean up the damaged skin has proven a problem, often making the damaged area bigger. As a result, surgical treatment is best delayed for at least 4-5 weeks after the bite. Skin grafting of ulcerated areas is often best delayed much longer. Steroids have not proven helpful. Antibiotics only help if there is a significant secondary infection. Very toxiv drugs such as Dapsone were tried for a while; they only work if given early and can have nasty side effects, so they are not being used commonly anymore. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO), given by placing the patient in a diving chamber (as used for decompression disease in divers) has found some favour, but is not accepted by all doctors. Scientific trials of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for loxoscelism have given conflicting results. Nevertheless, in the absence of any better treatment, HBO does seem to be effective for at least some patients; it both reduces pain and speeds healing of damaged skin. It does not work in all patients, is expensive and there are some risks associated.

In South America, specifically in Brazil, loxoscelism can be treated with specific antivenom. The effectiveness of antivenom treatment is uncertain, however. The Brazilian antivenom is only available in Brazil.

http://www.wch.sa.gov.au/paedm/clint...htm#loxosceles

http://www.wch.sa.gov.au/paedm/clint...tml#Definition

Ok, not lol, after reading all that (well, scanning it!) I don't think they're really in Oz though, phewwwww!

Larissa

That kind person wasn't your mother-in-law perchance?

Simone

Spider cleared of causing flesh-eating ulcer
Danny Kingsley
ABC Science Online
Tuesday, 19 August 2003

The white-tail spider, whose bite has been blamed for cases of flesh-eating ulcers for decades, has been declared innocent following methodical Australian research.
......

The real culprits
Two types of spider were originally suggested as the culprits for necrotising anachronism - the wolf spider and the white-tail spider. Like the white tail, the wolf spider is also innocent, "The wolf spider [accusation] was based on previous reports from other parts of the world, particularly in Brazil where it was felt that wolf spider bites caused skin damage," said White.The real villain - the brown recluse spider, Loxoceles reclusa, is from the family of spiders known to cause necrosis (NASA)
Research in Brazil that looked at the wolf spider found that the creatures were not responsible, explained White. "The culprit turned out to be bites by recluse or fiddleback spiders - they are the only group of spiders that have been well documented as having a venom that can cause skin damage," he said.
Recluse and fiddleback spiders are not native to Australia, although some have been introduced. "We have no idea how common they are," he said. Because of their reclusive nature, it is hard to gauge how many there are here, although there have been definite recluse spider bites recorded in Adelaide.
In most cases of bites in Australia, the victim does not see what had bitten them. "This has been a major stumbling block in developing a scientific understanding of the subject, because we don't really know what the cause is," he said.
The epidemiology of necrotism has never been studied, and it is uncertain if the cause is a bite. White argues that some of the cases are actually caused by infection, and there is a serious risk of misdiagnosis of bite by the white-tail spider.
"It's actually doing the community quite a disservice by continuing that because possibly treatable conditions, sometimes serious conditions are overlooked," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/e...ish_926733.htm

Paul&Ann-Marie

simone,

they are nasty little sods and i don't think they are in oz would have been suffice.

now i sit here trembling like a chunky jelly.

Paul ( scanning the walls, the floor, the ceiling, desk, cupboards etc etc )

:scared:

Simone

I don't think they are in Brisbane, Perth or Darwin

Paul&Ann-Marie

on a more serious note.

I have a slight problem when it comes to spiders.

Can anyone suggest ( other than " don't go " ) what precautions i could/ should take to ensure i never ( ever ) see one.

I fully intend to research different types before we ( if ever ) depart but at the moment, viewing the different types of spiders and the harm they can cause does not rank very high on my " to do " list as i believe this may have a negative impact on my desire to go.

Thanks, Paul

ANA123

Hello Paul,
The most effective way of dealing with this type of fear is gradual exposure!!
Avoidance is a risky strategy.

Simone

Read this thread:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hreadid=190873
I hope it helps.....
Take special notice of the posts by:
Jirrupin (bottom page 1)
Dotty (top half page 2)
Dagboy, bottom page 2

cherry6

I remember the first time I went to Australia I was completely paranoid as I have a real fear of spiders. A few days after I got there I went to get my mail from the little post box at the end of the drive and as I lifted my mail out my hand brushed against something hairy. It was a huntsman. And it was HUGE!!!! I thought I was going to pass out. I have been much more tolerant of spiders since then, on a positive note

Graham & Kath

Didnt realise such a small thing could be sooo intersting!!!!!

BTW Simone where do you find your facts out so quickly


Kath

claireg3

Hate to say this folks but a few years ago I nursed someone who had a similar wound as the result of an ant bite. He ended up losing his hand so don't think that all the nasties are confined to Oz.

Claire