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Primer registro de una mordedura de Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) en Chile

Authors:
Eduardo I. Faúndez at University of Magallanes
Eduardo I. Faúndez
Fernando Téllez
Fernando Téllez
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First record of a Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) bite from Chile. The first case of biting humans is described for the invasive combfoot spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) in Chile. The case occurred in the Araucania Region and was perpetrated by a male specimen to an adult male, 37 years old, while he was sleeping. The bite produced local pain, muscular constrictions and redness that lasted for about two hours before starting to disappear gradually. The case from Chile is similar to other steatodism cases known, but slightly less severe. This may be explained because the biting specimen was a male, which usually are less severe biters.
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ISSN: 1989-6581
Faúndez & Téllez (2016)
ARQUIVOS ENTOMOLÓXICOS, 15: 237-240
237
NOTA / NOTE
Primer registro de una mordedura de Steatoda nobilis (Thorell,
1875) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) en Chile.
Eduardo I. Faúndez 1, 2 & Fernando Téllez 3
1 Entomology Department, School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Dept. 7650, P.O. Box 6050;
Fargo, ND, USA. e-mail: ed.faundez@gmail.com
2 Departamento de Zoología Médica, Centro de Estudios en Biodiversidad (CEBCh), Magallanes, 1979, Osorno, CHILE.
3 Centro de Salud Familiar Nueva Imperial, Gorostiaga 258, Nueva Imperial, CHILE.
Resumen: Se describe el primer caso de una mordedura a humanos de la araña invasora Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875)
(Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) en Chile. El caso ocurrió en la Región de la Araucanía y fue perpetrado por un macho a
un hombre adulto de 37 años de edad mientras dormía, produciendo dolor, contracciones musculares y enrojecimiento
local, que desaparecieron gradualmente después de aproximadamente dos horas. El reporte de Chile es similar a otros de
steatodismo conocidos, pero algo más leve, lo que podría explicarse debido a que la mordedura fue perpetrada por un
ejemplar macho, los que usualmente infringen mordeduras menos severas.
Palabras clave: Arachnida, Theridiidae, Steatoda, Steatodismo, mordedura, Chile.
Abstract: First record of a Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) bite from Chile.
The first case of biting humans is described for the invasive combfoot spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875)
(Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae) in Chile. The case occurred in the Araucania Region and was perpetrated by a male
specimen to an adult male, 37 years old, while he was sleeping. The bite produced local pain, muscular constrictions and
redness that lasted for about two hours before starting to disappear gradually. The case from Chile is similar to other
steatodism cases known, but slightly less severe. This may be explained because the biting specimen was a male, which
usually are less severe biters.
Key words: Arachnida, Theridiidae, Steatoda, Steatodism, bite, Chile.
Recibido: 26 de febrero de 2016 Publicado on-line: 21 de marzo de 2016
Aceptado: 2 de marzo de 2016
Introducción
Steatoda Sundevall, 1833 es un género de arañas terídidas, usualmente de color pardo oscuro
con una banda marfileña en la zona anterior del abdomen, y que presentan un colulus amplio y carnoso
(Levi, 1957). Este género comprende actualmente unas 120 especies distribuidas mundialmente (World
Spider Catalog, 2016). Las especies de este grupo son conocidas comúnmente con el nombre de “falsas
viudas” y suelen constantemente ser confundidas con las viudas verdaderas del género Latrodectus
Walckenaer, 1805 (Faúndez, 2007). Algunas especies de Steatoda se caracterizan por presentar un alto
grado de sinantropismo, siendo uno de los grupos de arácnidos más frecuentes de encontrar en
habitaciones humanas (Faúndez, 2007, 2009; Taucare-Ríos, 2012). Un aspecto poco conocido o
mencionado en la literatura es el de la toxicidad de la mordedura de las especies de este género (i.e.
steatodismo). El steatodismo ha sido caracterizado como similar al latrodectismo, pero notoriamente
más leve que éste (Isbister & Gray, 2003; Diaz, 2004).
Faúndez & Téllez (2016): Primer registro de una mordedura de S. nobilis (Thorell) (Arach.: Araneae: Theridiidae) en Chile.
238
Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) es una especie invasiva, originaria de Canarias y Madeira, que se
ha expandido ampliamente por Europa, llegando a Estados Unidos y más recientemente a Chile (Taucare-
Ríos et al., 2016). El objetivo de esta contribución es describir el primer caso de una mordedura de S.
nobilis en Chile.
Materiales y métodos
La mordedura ocurrió en horas de la madrugada (5:40 am), en la localidad de Temuco, Región de
la Araucanía, Chile, el día 22 de febrero del 2015, en un hombre adulto de 37 años de edad. Ésta fue
seguida sin aplicación de tratamiento médico. En terminología seguimos a Isbister & Gray (2003) y en
formato se sigue a Faúndez (2016), junto con las recomendaciones propuestas por Stuber & Nentwig
(2016).
Resultados
El incidente ocurrió mientras la víctima dormía y fue despertada al momento del ataque del
arácnido. La mordedura ocurrió en la mejilla del individuo, aproximadamente un centímetro delante del
lóbulo auricular (Fig. 1). El ejemplar fue capturado e identificado como un macho de Steatoda nobilis
(Fig. 2). Durante la evolución de la mordedura se registró dolor y ardor durante la primera hora, para
luego pasar a un dolor de tipo punzante; hora y media más tarde se registra un segundo cambio pasando a
una presión local y sensación tirante en la piel de la zona afectada, la que fue desapareciendo
gradualmente durante el día. En el área de la mordedura se registró la aparición de un pequeño punto
rojo, que desapareció gradualmente durante el día. En adición se observó un eritema en la rama de la
mandíbula aproximadamente una hora después de la mordedura, el cual desapareció rápidamente luego de
unos minutos. El área afectada por la mordedura presentó inflamación leve por aproximadamente una
hora y media. Finalmente se registró contracción en los músculos faciales, irradiando hasta el piso de la
boca y parestesia persistente en un radio aproximado de tres centímetros alrededor de la mordedura.
Es importante mencionar que el individuo no pudo volver a dormir hasta el día siguiente luego del ataque.
1
3
5
Fig 1.- Área de la
mordedura de S. nobilis
(zona inflamada marcada
con bolígrafo).
ARQUIVOS ENTOMOLÓXICOS, 15: 237-240
239
Discusión y conclusiones
Las arañas del género
Steatoda usualmente no eran
consideradas en Chile por su
importancia médica, hasta que más
recientemente Faúndez (2009) y
Taucare-Ríos (2012) indican que éstas
deben ser tomadas en cuenta en el
país, debido al alto grado de
sinantropismo de algunas especies,
aumentando así las probabilidades de
accidentes. El steatodismo se
caracteriza por dolor regional
moderado a severo, con una duración
media de 6 horas, náuseas, dolor de
cabeza y malestar y letargo (Isbister & Gray, 2003; Isbister & White, 2004; Diaz, 2004). Sin embargo,
factores como el lugar de la mordedura, edad del afectado, estado de desarrollo del arácnido y sexo de
éste pueden hacer variar este cuadro (Isbister & Gray, 2003; Isbister & White, 2004; Diaz, 2004). El
caso aquí descrito presenta similitudes con el reportado por Warrell et al. (1991) para esta especie,
siendo sin embargo el presente mucho más leve. Esto podría explicarse ya que en el caso de Warrell et
al. (1991) el ejemplar responsable de la mordedura fue una hembra; mientras que en el presente caso, el
arácnido mordedor fue un macho, los cuales suelen infringir mordeduras menos severas por su menor
tamaño, que deriva en glándulas de veneno más pequeñas y por consiguiente una menor cantidad de toxina
(Diaz, 2004). Por otro lado la duración de los síntomas principales y el dolor irradiante de
aproximadamente dos horas, concuerda con lo mencionado por Isbister & White (2004), para los pocos
casos registrados de mordeduras inferidas por machos de Steatoda spp. Pese a ser éste el primer caso
formal de steatodismo descrito en Chile, Faúndez (2009) dice que si bien a la fecha no había casos
formalmente descritos, si había algunos reportes informales de mordeduras de Steatoda grossa (C.L.
Koch, 1838), otra especie altamente sinantrópica de este genero presente en Chile (Taucare-Ríos, 2012).
De este modo, y dado el reciente arribo y rápida expansión de S. nobilis en Chile, creemos posible que a
futuro puedan producirse casos similares; razón por la cual debiesen tomarse medidas sanitarias acorde,
en conjunto con programas de educación a la población, con el fin de reconocer al arácnido y evitar
accidentes.
Referencias bibliográficas
Diaz, J.H. 2004. The global epidemiology, syndromic classification, management, and prevention of spider
bites. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 71(2): 239-250.
Faúndez, E.I. 2007. Datos sobre las especies del género Steatoda Sundevall, 1833 (Arachnida: Theridiidae)
de la región de Magallanes (Chile). Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia, 35(1): 79-80.
Faúndez, E.I. 2009. Arañas (Arachnida: Araneae) peligrosas de la Región de Magallanes. Anales del Instituto
de la Patagonia, 37(1): 127-131.
Faúndez, E.I. 2016. A case of biting humans by Nabis americoferus (Heteroptera: Nabidae), with comments
on bites by other species of the genus Nabis in the United States. Journal of Medical Entomology, 53(1):
230-232.
Fig. 2.- Ejemplar macho de S. nobilis responsable de la mordedura.
Faúndez & Téllez (2016): Primer registro de una mordedura de S. nobilis (Thorell) (Arach.: Araneae: Theridiidae) en Chile.
240
Isbister, G.K. & Gray, M.R. 2003. Effects of envenoming by comb-footed spiders of the genera Steatoda and
Achaearanea (family Theridiidae: Araneae) in Australia. Journal of Toxicology – Clinical Toxicology, 41: 809–
819.
Isbister, G.K. & White, J. 2004. Clinical consequences of spider bites: recent advances in our understanding.
Toxicon, 43: 477-492.
Levi, H.W. 1957. The spider genera Crustulina and Steatoda in North America, Central America, and the
West Indies (Araneae, Theridiidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 117: 367-424.
Stuber, M. & Nentwig, W. 2016. How informative are case studies of spider bites in the medical literature?.
Toxicon, 114: 40-44.
Taucare-Ríos, A. 2012. Las arañas sinantrópicas peligrosas de Chile. Revista Médica de Chile, 140(9): 1228-
1229.
Taucare-Ríos, A.; Mardones, D. & Zúñiga-Reinoso, A. 2016. Steatoda nobilis (Araneae: Theridiidae) in South
America: a new alien species for Chile. The Canadian Entomologist, First view: 3pp. doi:10.4039/tce.2015.83.
Warrell, D.A.; Shaheen, J.; Hillyard, P.D., & Jones, D. 1991. Neurotoxic envenoming by an immigrant spider
(Steatoda nobilis) in southern England. Toxicon, 29: 1263-1265.
World Spider Catalog. 2016. World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at
http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 17.0, accessed on 25/02/2016.
... The Noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis originates from the Macaronesian archipelago and has recently expanded its range throughout Europe including Ireland and Great Britain [1][2][3][4][5], Western Asia (Turkey and Iran) [6,7], North America [8,9] and South America [1,[10][11][12][13][14]. In contrast to the forest habitat of Madeira [15], outside of its native range S. nobilis establishes in synanthropic habitats where close contact with humans is unavoidable [1,2,4]. ...
... In contrast to the forest habitat of Madeira [15], outside of its native range S. nobilis establishes in synanthropic habitats where close contact with humans is unavoidable [1,2,4]. Consequently, eight cases of envenomation have previously been reported in the scientific literature: three in Ireland [16], three in Great Britain [16,17], and two in Chile [10,12]. There is also one unconfirmed case from Columbia, where the species is now established [13]. ...
... Steatoda nobilis is currently regarded as a member of the British fauna, however, recent changes in distribution and population density revealed the potential for S. nobilis to be invasive [1,2,4,19,20]. With an increase in the density of S. nobilis around synanthropic habitats, there has been an increase in bites to humans [10,12,16]. ...
Bites by the noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis can induce Latrodectus-like symptoms and vector-borne bacterial infections with implications for public health: a case series
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2021
  • Clin Toxicol
Context In recent years, the Noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) has expanded its range globally and may represent a potential threat to native ecosystems and public health. Increasing numbers in synanthropic habitats have led to more human encounters and envenomations. Steatoda nobilis bites were previously classed as medically significant with similarities to bites from true black widows of the genus Latrodectus but deemed milder in onset, with symptoms generally ranging from mild to moderate. Case details In this manuscript we present 16 new cases of S. nobilis envenomations bringing the total number of confirmed cases reported in the literature to 24. We report new symptoms and provide discussion on the contributing factors to pathology following bites by S. nobilis. Discussion We report a range of pathologies including necrosis, Latrodectus-like envenomation symptoms that include debilitating pain, tremors, fatigue, nausea, hypotension, and vectored bacterial infections including cellulitis and dermatitis. Symptoms ranged from mild to severe, requiring hospitalisation in some cases.
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... Originally described from the Macaronesian archipelagos [28], S. nobilis was first documented outside of its supposed native range in Britain in 1879, but its distribution was limited to a handful of port cities until the 1990's [29] at which point reports increased throughout the southern half of England, and from the 2000s onward, northern England, Wales and Scotland [29][30][31]. Throughout the late 1990's and the first decade of the 21st century, S. nobilis expanded its range to Ireland and across continental Europe, East Asia, and the Americas [12,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. Predictive modelling suggests that S. nobilis has the potential to become the world's most invasive species of spiders [30]. ...
... Despite several reports documenting the worldwide spread of S. nobilis, and concerns of ecological and human health impacts [23,24,30,31,33,[39][40][41][42][43], there has been little focus on the competitiveness of S. nobilis against native spiders which may account for the invasiveness of S. nobilis. So far, no published study has quantified the invasive impact of S. nobilis, although previous observations in the field indicated that S. nobilis invades the ecological niches traditionally occupied by native synanthropic spiders and is capable of displacing them [23,42] (Figure 1). ...
Worldwide Web: High Venom Potency and Ability to Optimize Venom Usage Make the Globally Invasive Noble False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Theridiidae) Highly Competitive against Native European Spiders Sharing the Same Habitats
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  • Aug 2022
Venom compositions include complex mixtures of toxic proteins that evolved to immobi-lize/dissuade organisms by disrupting biological functions. Venom production is metabolically expensive , and parsimonious use is expected, as suggested by the venom optimisation hypothesis. The decision-making capacity to regulate venom usage has never been demonstrated for the globally invasive Noble false widow Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) (Theridiidae). Here, we investigated variations of venom quantities available in a wild population of S. nobilis and prey choice depending on venom availability. To partially determine their competitiveness, we compared their attack rate success, median effective dose (ED50) and lethal dose (LD50), with four sympatric synanthropic species: the lace webbed spider Amaurobius similis, the giant house spider Eratigena atrica, the missing sector orb-weaver Zygiella x-notata, and the cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides. We show that S. no-bilis regulates its venom usage based on availability, and its venom is up to 230-fold (0.56 mg/kg) more potent than native spiders. The high potency of S. nobilis venom and its ability to optimize its usage make this species highly competitive against native European spiders sharing the same habitats. Key Contribution: This study highlights the venom potency of the globally invasive spider Steatoda nobilis against common synanthropic north European spiders and demonstrates the ability of S. no-bilis to adapt its predatory behaviour depending on the amount of venom available in its venom apparatus.
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... For spider identification we followed Levi (1962Levi ( , 1967 and Faúndez et al. (2021). For terminology of the case we followed Isbister & White (2004) and in descriptive format to Faúndez & Téllez (2016). The specimen was identified as S. triangulosa. ...
On a bite case of Steatoda triangulosa (Walckenaer) (Arachnida: Theridiidae) on a human being
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  • Mar 2023
Sobre un caso de mordedura de Steatoda triangulosa (Walckenaer) (Arachnida: Theridiidae) en un ser humano RESUMEN. Se reporta el segundo caso de una mordedura de la "falsa viuda" Steatoda triangulosa en un ser humano. El ataque constó de dos mordeduras y ocurrió en San Vicente, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina y la víctima es una mujer de 31 años, que se encontraba durmiendo y despertó al sentir las molestas y divisar la araña. El caso incluyó síntomas típicos del steatodismo como dolor local y radiante, y malestar general por cerca de un día. Adicionalmente se observaron eritemas en ambos sitios de las mordeduras que duraron cerca de 10 días, mientras que en el sitio de la primera mordedura apareció también un hematoma cuya duración fue de 3 días. Se discuten las implicancias de la mordedura en el contexto de las investigaciones actuales sobre steatodismo. PALABRAS CLAVE. Aracnidismo. Araña. Especie cosmopolita. Sinantrópico. ABSTRACT. The second case of a bite by the "triangulate false widow" Steatoda triangulosa is reported on a human being. The case occurred in San Vicente, Buenos Aires, Argentina on a female 31 years old victim, who woke up felling a nuisance and spotting the spider on her arm. The spider inflicted two bites causing typical steatodism symptoms including local and radiating pain and malaise which lasted for about a day. In addition, the appearance of an erythema on each bite side that lasted about 10 days plus a haematoma in the first bite site which lasted for 3 days. The implications of the case in the context of current research in steatodism is discussed.
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... S. nobilis is recognized for its medical significance (Dunbar, Afoullouss, et al., 2018;Dunbar et al., 2021;Dunbar, Fort, et al., 2020;Dunbar, Khan, et al., 2020;Faúndez, Carvajal, & Aravena-Correa, 2020;Faúndez & Téllez, 2016;Warrell et al., 1991) and potential invasiveness (Bauer et al., 2019;Dugon et al., 2017;Dunbar et al., 2022;Dunbar, Ennis, et al., 2018;Faúndez et al., 2018;Faúndez, Johnson, & Angelone, 2020;Hambler, 2019;Kulczycki et al., 2012;Rayner et al., 2022;Taucare-Ríos et al., 2016;Vetter et al., 2015;Vetter & Rust, 2012). The venom of S. nobilis shares two thirds of its venom composition with the genus Latrodectus (Dunbar, Fort, et al., 2020), which is indicative of their close relatedness to true black widows (Liu et al., 2016). ...
Predation on a pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus, by the noble false widow spider, Steatoda nobilis
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The noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis is a globally invasive species with implications for public health and possibly for native ecosystems. Here, we report on a case of predation on a protected species of vertebrate, a pygmy shrew Sorex minutus in Britain. The importance and novelty of this report are: (1) this is the third documented case of S. nobilis preying on a vertebrate in five years, suggesting that small vertebrates are likely to be a more frequent component of their diet than previously thought; (2) this is the first case of a Theridiidae spider preying on a shrew in Britain; and (3) this is the first case of predation on shrews by the genus Steatoda globally. Overall, S. nobilis fits the profile of a habitual vertebrate‐eating spider.
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... The noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis originates from the Macaronesian archipelagos and has recently colonized parts of Europe, including Ireland and Great Britain (Bauer et al., 2019;Dugon et al., 2017;Dunbar, Schulte, et al., 2018;Hambler, 2019;Snazell & Jones, 1993), Western Asia (Türkeş & Mergen, 2007;Zamani et al., 2015), North America (Vetter et al., 2015;Vetter & Rust, 2012), and South America (Bauer et al., 2019;Faúndez et al., 2018;Faúndez et al., 2020;Faúndez & Téllez, 2016;Porras-Villamil et al., 2020;Taucare-Ríos et al., 2016). The species is notable for its potential medical importance (Dunbar, Afoullouss, et al., 2018;Dunbar et al., 2021;Dunbar, Khan, et al., 2020;Warrell et al., 1991). ...
Webslinger vs. Dark Knight First record of a false widow spider Steatoda nobilis preying on a pipistrelle bat in Britain
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The noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis continues to expand its range globally with possible implications for public health and native species. Of the European Union list of 66 species of invasive plants and animals, none are spiders. S. nobilis is invasive around the world, but its impact on native species has not been fully assessed. Here, we report on the predation of a protected species of pipistrelle bat by S. nobilis in Britain. To our knowledge, this is the first recorded case of a Theridiidae spider preying on a bat globally, the first case of a Theridiidae spider preying on a vertebrate in Britain, and the first global case of a Steatoda preying on a mammal.
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... Further afi eld, the distribution range of Steatoda nobilis has been continuously expanding since the turn of the twenty-fi rst century. Steatoda nobilis has become widespread in coastal urban centres in France (Kovoor and Munoz-Cuevas 2000), Belgium (Van Keer 2010), Italy (Kulczycki 2012), Spain (Déjean 2013), Portugal (Cardoso 2000), California (Vetter and Rust 2012;Vetter et al. 2015) and Chile (Taucare-Rios et al. 2016;Faúndez and Téllez 2016). Eastward, Steatoda nobilis has been observed in Germany (Reiser 2013), Turkey (Turkey and Mergen 2007) and as far as Iran (Zamani et al. 2015). ...
View
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Capítulo XIII.2 Género Steatoda
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Generalidades de Steatoda en Chile
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Synanthropic spiders, including the global invasive noble false widow Steatoda nobilis, are reservoirs for medically important and antibiotic resistant bacteria
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The false widow spider Steatoda nobilis is associated with bites which develop bacterial infections that are sometimes unresponsive to antibiotics. These could be secondary infections derived from opportunistic bacteria on the skin or infections directly vectored by the spider. In this study, we investigated whether it is plausible for S. nobilis and other synanthropic European spiders to vector bacteria during a bite, by seeking to identify bacteria with pathogenic potential on the spiders. 11 genera of bacteria were identified through 16S rRNA sequencing from the body surfaces and chelicerae of S. nobilis, and two native spiders: Amaurobius similis and Eratigena atrica. Out of 22 bacterial species isolated from S. nobilis, 12 were related to human pathogenicity among which Staphylococcus epidermidis, Kluyvera intermedia, Rothia mucilaginosa and Pseudomonas putida are recognized as class 2 pathogens. The isolates varied in their antibiotic susceptibility: Pseudomonas putida, Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus edaphicus showed the highest extent of resistance, to three antibiotics in total. On the other hand, all bacteria recovered from S. nobilis were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. Our study demonstrates that S. nobilis does carry opportunistic pathogenic bacteria on its body surfaces and chelicerae. Therefore, some post-bite infections could be the result of vector-borne bacterial zoonoses that may be antibiotic resistant.
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Steatoda nobilis (Araneae: Theridiidae) in South America: a new alien species for Chile
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The arrival and establishment of the spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell) (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Chile is reported. This record is the first for this alien species in the Southern Hemisphere. A brief diagnosis to recognise the species is provided and the possible ways of entry of this spider to Chile are discussed.
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Neurotoxic envenoming by an immigrant spider (Steatoda nobilis) in southern England
Article
  • Feb 1991
  • TOXICON
D. A. Warrell, J. Shaheen, P. D. Hillyard and D. Jones. Neurotoxic envenoming by an immigrant spider (Steatoda nobilis) in southern England. Toxicon 29, 1263-1265, 1991.-A young woman was bitten on the shoulder by a female Steatoda nobilis spider, in Worthing on the south coast of England. She noticed intense radiating pain, local sweating (indicating parasympathetic stimulation) and feverishness. This immigrant species from the Canary Islands has established itself along the south coast of England in recent years. Like the related Mediterranean species S. paykulliana, S. nobilis may be of medical importance and deserves further study.
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Effects of Envenoming by Comb‐Footed Spiders of the Genera Steatoda and Achaearanea (Family Theridiidae: Araneae) in Australia
Article
  • Feb 2003
  • J Toxicol Clin Toxicol
The family Theridiidae (comb-footed spiders) contains the well-known and medically important widow spider group (Latrodectus spp.). Little is known about the effects of envenoming by other common members of this family. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical effects of bites by common theridiid spiders of the genera Steatoda and Achaearanea. This was a prospective cohort study of calls to Australian poison information centers and presentations to emergency departments. Twenty-eight persons with a definite bite by a spider of the family Theridiidae, excluding Latrodectus spp., were included where the spider was immediately collected and expertly identified from February 1999 to April 2002. There were 23 bites by Steatoda spp. and five bites by Achaearanea spp. Steatoda bites occurred across Australia, throughout the year, and the majority during waking hours. Seventy-eight percent of bites occurred indoors and 48% while dressing indoors. Pain was universal and was severe in six (26%). Increasing pain in the first hour occurred in 30%, and the median duration of pain was 6 hr (interquartile range: 1-12 hr). Local or regional diaphoresis did not occur. Systemic effects occurred in 30% and included nausea, headache, lethargy, and malaise. The majority received no treatment: seven patients presented to a hospital (two patients received opiates for analgesia) and 1 patient inadvertently received intravenous redback spider (RBS) antivenom because the spider was initially misidentified as a RBS (Latrodectus). The pain and symptoms responded over 1 hr following antivenom administration. Bites by Achaeranea spp. caused moderate to severe persistent pain, but no systemic effects. Steatoda spp. bites or "steatodism" may cause prolonged pain and systemic effects similar to Latrodectus bites, but less severe. In severe cases, the clinical effects were almost indistinguishable from Latrodectus, except diaphoresis was absent, and the spiders were often mistaken for Latrodectus. Intravenous RBS antivenom appears to be an effective treatment in isolated severe cases, consistent with in vitro work. Achaearanea bites caused pain similar to Latrodectus bites.
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Clinical consequences of spider bites: Recent advances in our understanding
Article
  • May 2004
  • TOXICON
Spider bite continues to be a controversial subject worldwide and attribution of clinical effects to different spiders is problematic because of poor case definition and paucity of clinical evidence. The effects of medically important spiders are sometimes underestimated and simultaneously there is misattribution of effects to harmless spider groups. The majority of suspected spider bites present as skin lesions or necrotic ulcers where the history of a spider bite must be confirmed. To be a definite spider bite, the patient must immediately observe the spider and there be evidence of the bite, such as pain. Important groups of spiders worldwide include the widow spiders (latrodectism), recluse spiders (loxoscelism) and some mygalomorph spiders including the Australian Funnel web spider. Most spiders only cause minor effects, including a large number of groups that have been implicated in necrotic arachnidism.
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