Be careful: no one is safe from a black widow bite (video)

A 35-year-old man was bitten by a poisonous black widow spider in Lefkada. Fortunately, the worst was avoided – the treatment provided in the hospital worked, but this does not always happen.

The man went to Lefkada Hospital on Thursday afternoon with severe pain in his leg. How reports ilefkada.gr, he was bitten by a spider while doing housework in the yard, near the stacked wood for the fireplace. Feeling the bite, the man thought that some kind of pebble had gotten into his shoes and continued working. Half an hour later, the pain in my leg began to intensify. After taking off his shoes to find the cause, the man discovered a 2-3cm spider known as the Black Widow was still there.

Meanwhile, the pain became more and more intense, and the leg began to go numb. The man realized the danger of his condition, although he does not suffer from allergies, and went to Lefkada General Hospital. Within 10-15 minutes of travel, the pain became unbearable, and he completely stopped feeling his leg due to numbness.

The doctors and medical staff of the hospital provided him with prompt assistance – they gave him the medicine necessary in such cases and hospitalized him for constant observation. Only after 24 hours the pain subsided and the victim was allowed to return home. He will continue to take the prescribed treatment for several more days.

A similar incident occurred in July 2023 in Trikala. Then the head of the department of public health and social protection P.E. Trikalon and Doctor of Medical Sciences ESYMaster of Health Sotirios Nikolakakos, in order to inform citizens, said:

“The Mediterranean black widow or Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is one of two dangerous spider species in Greece. It gets its name from the tendency of females to eat their partner after mating. The spider is black in color and is characterized by 13 red spots (sometimes orange or yellow) on the back of the body. The female can reach a size of 1.5 cm, the male – 0.7 cm. The venom of the black spider contains a powerful neurotoxin, which makes it painful and extremely dangerous. Its venom is said to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake.”

Mr. Nikolakakos warns:

“Most bites occur when the victim tries to put on shoes or gardening gloves that have been left in an open space with a spider that has set up camp there.” For this reason, it is not recommended to walk barefoot or in open sandals in areas where there is a high likelihood of poisonous spiders and scorpions. Instead, boots or closed shoes and long trousers are recommended. Do not place your hands or feet where poisonous insects may be hiding. Check clothing and shoes for hidden insects such as scorpions and spiders, and shake clothing and shoes before wearing them.”

Regarding the symptoms, Mr. Nikolakakos emphasized that at first the bite is often silent or causes mild pain:

“The main symptoms appear half an hour or even two hours after the bite – pain, muscle tremors, weakness, numbness, headache, vomiting. Especially in children, tachycardia, drooling, anxiety, abdominal pain, muscle spasms, and cramps can be observed. A rare but possible manifestation is latrodectism. In this case, the victim’s face takes on a characteristic appearance: the jaws tighten, swelling around the tightly closed and watery eyes appears tense. Do not forget that the bite can lead to a more common one, but no less. dangerous allergic reaction.”

Treatment is carried out in a hospital even for mild reactions and is based on treating the bite area, using analgesics, muscle relaxants, and in some cases antibiotic treatment may be required. In more serious cases, a special antidote can be used, which, however, requires special attention as it can lead to life-threatening allergic reactions.

*Latrodectism is a systemic syndrome caused by neurotoxic components in the bite of widow spiders, manifested by restlessness, sweating, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, hypertension, salivation, weakness, diffuse erythematous rash, itching, ptosis, swelling of the eyelids and extremities.

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