What is necrotic arachnidism?

What is necrotic arachnidism?

Necrotic arachnidism is the potential cutaneous reaction to spider bite venom. In the United States, members of 7 spider families may be responsible for envenomation sufficiently severe to warrant treatment.

What is necrotic venom?

Necrotic, or cytotoxic venoms, are those which cause cell and tissue damage after envenomation. This can lead to the appearance of inflammation, lesions, and blisters. Neurotoxic venoms, on the other hand, exert their effects on the nervous system, and interfere with signalling between neurons.

What causes necrotic arachnidism?

What spiders cause necrotic arachnidism? Necrotic arachnidism is the term used to describe the syndrome of necrotic cutaneous ulceration resulting from a spider bite. The brown recluse, or fiddleback, spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is a known cause of necrotising arachnidism (in this case called ‘loxoscelism’).

What is systemic Loxoscelism?

Systemic loxoscelism is a constitutional illness resulting from the bite of spiders of the genus Loxosceles, which is distributed worldwide. In parts of the United States, the Loxosceles reclusa, commonly referred to as the brown recluse spider, is endemic.

What animals have necrotic venom?

A smaller number of medically significant spider species produce “necrotic venom.” Necrotic venom is produced only by spiders from the Sicariidae family, which includes all 13 recluse species found in the US, most notably the brown recluse.

How do you treat a necrotizing arachnidism?

Treatment of necrotising arachnidism Those that have been tried include antibiotics, corticosteroids, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, surgical debridement +/- skin grafting (early or late) and (for loxoscelism) cytotoxics such as colchicine and cyclophosphamide.

What can spider venom do?

Spider venoms work on one of two fundamental principles; they are either neurotoxic (attacking the nervous system) or necrotic (attacking tissues surrounding the bite). In some cases, the venom affects vital organs and systems.

How is Loxoscelism treated?

The systemic treatment consists in analgesics, antihistamines, corticosteroids, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and dapsone in severe cases. The local treatment is based on the cleaning and debridement of the wound, and in advanced treatments for complex wounds. It is not uncommon that such wounds require skin grafting.

Is it a brown recluse spider bite?

Bites from the brown recluse spider almost never result in death but can cause serious skin damage, nausea, and muscle pain….Brown recluse bite vs. wolf spider bite.