With the exception of Spiderman, nobody likes getting bit by a spider. Spider bites can be both annoying and painful to deal with.
The good news is that out of the 3,000 spider types in the United States, only a few are known to bite, and just three have enough venom to put your life at risk. We’ve compiled five photos of spider bites that will help you identify and deal with them.
First of all, are you sure that it’s a spider bite?
Spiders typically leave behind two distinct puncture holes right next to each other. Justin Arnold, D.O., assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, explained that oftentimes, bites that people think come from spiders are actually bites from other insects like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes.
“Many people don’t recall an injury or specific bite and hold a common belief that a spider must have bitten them without them knowing,” he said. “In a majority of the cases that we see, a spider was never seen by patient and is not responsible for their infection.”
What happens when a spider bite gets infected?
Arnold said that it’s rare that a spider bite becomes infected. He said that the three main outcomes that can stem from these bites are cellulitis, blisters, and swelling.
Jumping spider and wolf spider bites.
Spider bites most commonly come from house spiders, specifically the jumping spider and the wolf spider. Arnold said that these bites usually aren’t more painful than a bee sting and will only result in redness and itching.
Black Widow Spider Bites
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Rich Vetter, Ph.D., a spider expert in the department of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, said that black widow pose the greatest health threat to Americans. Black widow bites look like any other bites, but Vetter said that these bites become more swollen and red than your general household spider bite. Arnold said that black widow bites can cause develop muscle cramping, abdominal and chest pain, high blood pressure, a racing heart, and/or vomiting within two hours of a bite, go to the ER immediately.
Brown recluse spider bites
This spider is one of the most venomous in America, but since they are limited to specific geographic areas, Vetter said that you should not worry about them unless you live in these places. Presently, brown recluse spider habitat extends from Nebraska to Ohio and across the south from Texas to Florida. Arnold explained that bites from the brown recluse result in a “sharp burning pain” and within hours, the bite area becomes discolored and forms an ulcer that can takes several weeks to heal. Those who are bitten can develop fevers, muscle aches, and in rare cases, severe anemia as a result of the venom.
We hope you don’t have to deal with any of these bites anytime soon!
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