Despite their small size, these arachnids are medical importance since they produce a poison that It is toxic to humans and can be found inside homes.
A 23 year old Italian young man He lost his life after being stung by a “violinist” or “corner” spider, marking the second such fatal incident to occur on the peninsula this summer. Giuseppe Russo died in hospital in Bari, southern Italy, from a septic shock and a general failure of vital organsmore than a month after having been bitten in the leg.
Previously, in July, a 52-year-old Sicilian carabiniere, Franco Aiello, had also succumbed to the bite of a spider of the same species.
The recluse spider (Loxosceles rufescens) is found in Mediterranean countries, Asia and North America, according to the world catalogue of spiders maintained by the Natural History Museum in Bern. It gets its name from a characteristic violin-shaped spot on its body. It usually inhabits arid terrain, cracks and is frequently found near homes, especially in gardens.
Despite their small size (up to 7.5 mm), these arachnids are recognized for being medical importance. This means that the poison they produce in their glands It is toxic to humans and can be found inside homes.
What symptoms does a corner spider bite produce?
The bite of a recluse spider can be dangerous and cause a series of symptoms in the bite area such asredness and inflammation, intense itchingandnumbness and edema. In addition, systemic symptoms such as fever, tachycardia, nausea and headache may occur.
It is important to note that in severe situations, the proteolytic activity of the venom can lead to tissue necrosis, forming a black eschar.
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What can I do to prevent recluse spiders from entering my home?
Recluse spiders enter homes to staybut They do not seek any refugebut one that has the right characteristics to survive. Therefore, to prevent these arachnids from finding a perfect hiding place in our home, we must eliminate their optimal conditions for shelterso you should avoid the following at all costs:
- Rooms, garages, attics, basements or similar that are not cleaned. The perfect refuge for brown recluse spiders are all those dark and quiet areas or rooms, where no changes or movements are made for a long time, unclean and therefore full of dust. So the best trick to avoid the visit of one of these arachnids is to is to avoid having a room or area at home with these characteristics.
- Patio, garage or garden with scraps of wood, cardboard or other types of accumulation. As with the previous point, when remains of wood, cardboard or similar are found in the yard, garage or garden, these arachnids are provided with an ideal place in which to take refuge. In that sense, the best thing you can do to avoid them is throw away all that garbage and maintain the greatest cleanliness in these places.
Source: Ambito
