Spider Bites

Types of Spider Bites and How they Can Be Treated

The spider bite is usually an injury that will result in humans and pets that result when a spider will bite. While the spider bites of many of the species are harmless, there are other spiders that can inject potentially lethal and fatal venoms. In case these bites are not treated with anti venom, the patient can even die. They possess chelicerae (pointed appendages that can slice through human skin and others oft tissues quite easily) and when used can inflict necrotic wounds and delivering toxicity.

In most cases of spider bites, the main apprehension is actually the venom that has been delivered. But in some cases the bite can also deliver infectious diseases also. When the spider chooses to deliver the venom after the bite, it will depend on the type of the spider and the circumstances under which the bite occurs. Some of the spider species may leave a wound that possesses the risk of secondary infections also, while some of the spiders that are known to feed on dead matter can spread infectious diseases when they bite.

Only a small percentage of the spider species have bites that can be harmful or painful to humans. Many of them don’t even have the specific capability to penetrate the human skin or even deliver the require amount of lethal venom to cause problems or even fatalities. There are only a very small proportion of spiders that can do this.

There are two ways in which the venom that is delivered by the spider bites will work. They are either nuerotoxic (which means that they will affect the central nervous system). The spiders that deliver necrotic venoms are those that attack the tissues that surround the bite and in some cases even attack the vital organs and systems.

Symptoms for the Spider Bites

In most cases the spiders possess some sort of neurotoxin venom that attacks the nervous system in some manner or the other depending on the species of the spider. These are some of the symptoms that are seen when the spiders bite and include

Muscle contractions that can cause very painful abdominal cramps and can also interrupt the normal breathing process in humans. Spider bite venoms can increase the neural activities in the body that can cause severe problems for the normal body functions in the body. Some species of spiders such as the Brazilian wandering species can deliver high levels of serotonin that can especially cause very painful erections in human males.

The necrotic venom that is delivered by the spiders can also is quite deadly and in some cases even fatal. Bites can range from localized symptoms, severe skin lesions and in some cases even renal failure. In some cases death can also be caused by the necrotic venom delivered through the Spider bites. In some cases the spider bite is not painful, however as time passes, the wound can grow and lesions can appear. In some cases the area can also become riddled with gangrene and would need to be removed or will eventually slough away. Other symptoms that can appear with the spider bites include nausea, vomiting, mild fever, rashes, joint and muscle pain and many others. Invalid patients, elderly and children are more susceptible to the venom rather than healthy young adults.

The treatments for the spider bites is dependent on the species and the type of venom that is delivered.

The treatment for the spider bites actually depends on the type of spider and the kind of venom that has been injected. Sometimes a spider expert may be needed to pinpoint the exact species, therefore it is preferable to capture the spider either alive or that which has been kept in a well preserved position.

Treatment for smaller and minor wounds should be done as they are done for puncture wounds. The wound should be allowed to bleed. This will clear away the debris and foreign material. It can then be treated with topical antiseptics.

The necrotic bites treatment includes immobilization of the effected area. After which ice should be applied to the area and should be followed by tetanus prophylaxis.

Cheers,
Trubad Hassan
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