Spider Bite
-Spider Bite
Is this your child’s symptom?
- Bite from a spider
-Symptoms of a Spider Bite
- Most spider bites cause local pain, redness and swelling. It’s much like a bee sting reaction.
- A few spiders (such as the Black Widow) can cause a more severe reaction.
- Helpful if spider seen on the skin or around the child
-Cause of Spider Bite Reactions
- Most spiders have tiny fangs. They inject venom into the skin.
- The venom is what causes all the symptoms.
-Types of Spider Bites
-Black Widow Spider Bite
- A shiny, jet-black spider with long legs (total size 1 inch or 25 mm).
- A red (or orange) hourglass-shaped marking on its under-side.
- Causes immediate local pain and swelling.
- Sometimes, you can see 2 fang marks at the bite site.
- Severe muscle cramps (especially stomach cramps) occur within 1 to 6 hours. These last 24 to 48 hours.
- Rarely causes death. (Exception: bitten by several spiders or small child is bitten)
- Note: Many are dry bites because the fangs are small.
- The brown widow spider is related to the black widow. It is found in southern US.
- Brown widow spider bites are treated the same as black widow bites.
-Brown Recluse Spider Bite
- A brown spider with long legs (total size ½ inch or 12 mm).
- A dark violin shaped marking on top of its head.
- Causes pain at the bite. Blisters form within 4 to 8 hours.
- The center becomes bluish and depressed (crater-like) over 2 to 3 days.
- Skin damage may require skin grafting in 10% of cases.
- Other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, muscle pain can occur. No life-threatening symptoms occur.
- Brown recluse spiders are hard to identify. If you can, bring the spider along in a jar.
- More than 50 spiders in the U.S. have venom. Their bites cause reactions that are not serious. This includes pain or redness at the bite site.
- The bites are painful and swollen. This lasts for 1 or 2 days. They can feel and look like a bee sting.
- Some single, unexplained, tender bites that occur during the night are due to spiders.
–Spider Bite
- Trouble breathing or wheezing
- Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand
- Spider Venom
