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Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Spider
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by 23bms on August 13, 2004
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Antibiotics are USELESS in the treatment of spider bites unless a secondary infection develops.
From the Merck Manual:
Diagnosis and Treatment
There is no way to identify a particular spider on the basis of its bite mark. Therefore, a specific diagnosis can be made only if the spider can be observed. Black widow spiders are recognized by a red or orange hourglass-shaped marking on the abdomen. Brown recluse spiders have a violin-shaped marking on their back.
The only first-aid measure of any value for a spider bite is placing an ice cube on the bite to reduce pain. For a black widow spider bite, muscle pain and spasms can be relieved with muscle relaxants and opioid analgesics. Hot baths may relieve mild pain. Antivenom is given for severe poisoning. Hospitalization is usually required for people younger than 16 and older than 60 and for those with high blood pressure or heart disease. For a brown recluse spider bite, antivenom is not yet commercially available. Skin sores are cleaned daily with a povidone-iodine solution and are soaked 3 times a day in sterile salt water (saline); dead tissue is trimmed away as needed.
Symptoms
The bite of a black widow spider usually causes a sharp pain, somewhat like a pinprick, followed by a dull, sometimes numbing, pain in the area around the bite. Cramping pain and muscle stiffness, which may be severe, develop in the abdomen or the shoulders, back, and chest. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, sweating, restlessness, anxiety, headache, drooping and swelling of the eyelids, skin rash and itching, severe breathing problems, increased saliva production, and weakness.
The bite of a brown recluse spider may cause little or no immediate pain, but some pain develops in the area around the bite within about an hour. Pain may be severe and may affect the entire injured area, which may become red and bruised and may itch. The rest of the body may itch as well. A blister forms, surrounded by a bruised area or by a more distinct red area that resembles a bull's-eye. Then the blister enlarges, fills with blood, and ruptures, forming an open sore (ulcer) that may leave a large craterlike scar. Nausea and vomiting, aches, fatigue, chills, sweats, blood disorders, and kidney failure may develop, but the bite is rarely fatal.
[End]
Rampant unwarranted use of antibiotics, particularly for viral diseases such as the flu, is resulting in a proliferation of resistant organisms. It is one of the major crises in modern medicine. Many physicians irresponsibly prescribe them simply to shut the patient up. The harm they are doing is incalculable. There are many legitimate applications for antibiotics. Envenomation is not one of them.
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RE: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Sp
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by tj on August 13, 2004
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It seems that many go by the fiddle/violin as a major way to identify a brown recluse spider. The fact is, there are many spiders that have a fiddle or violin marking. In New York, I have seen a number of cheiracanthium that have a violin, and some very much resemble a brown recluse in size and color. The only sure way to properly indentify a brown recluse is by the eyes, loxosceles have only 6. This of course does not include people who have been around recluse spiders.
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RE: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Sp
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by Scootertrash on August 13, 2004
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In regards to antibiotics doing nothing for envenomation, our doctor gave them to us to ward of the infection that came with necrosis of tissue around the bite. He was not trying to treat envenomation with antibiotics. Just a clarification.
Clayton
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RE: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Sp
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by 23bms on August 13, 2004
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Thank you for the clarification.
That would be a case of secondary infection, an instance in which antibiotics would be indicated as I noted. Some might debate whether it is appropriate to prescribe prophylactically, but, given the possibility, even likelihood, of at least a certain degree of tissue necrosis, most would probably answer affirmatively.
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RE: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Sp
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by 23bms on August 13, 2004
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I neglected to note in my previous post that I was referring solely to Brown Recluse envenomations and their distinctive pathologies. Prophylactic antibiotics are clearly contraindicated for Black Widow bites.
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RE: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptomatology of Sp
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by Scootertrash on August 13, 2004
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Yeah, that's what the doc told us too. By the symptoms that she had, he thought it was a Black Widow bite. I made a mistake by putting something on the wound before we went to the doctor for the infection. Well, all i can say is if you don't learn something new every day, you're not paying attention, right?
Regards
Clayton
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