Necrosis, fever, fatigue… what are the risks of a spider bite ?

Morsures d’araignées : quels sont les risques ?

En Sicile, un carabinier du service d'escorte du tribunal de Palerme est décédé une semaine après avoir été mordu par une araignée violoniste. Les arachnides représentent-elles un réel danger ou s’agit-il d’un cas isolé ?

In Italy, the Rai reports the case of Franco Aiello, 52 years old. While gardening, the latter was bitten by a violinist spider (due to a spot on his body reminiscent of the musical instrument). He then realized that his ankle had turned red. After a few days he was admitted to Cervello hospital. Then the situation got worse. The patient died after a week.

As the Italian media explains, "also called Loxosceles rufescens, the violinist spider is quite small, does not exceed 9 mm in body and can reach a maximum of 4-5 cm with its legs. It is a very timid and not very aggressive species, which prefers to escape when possible. Bites are more likely if it takes refuge in shoes or clothing and is inadvertently crushed."

Violinist spider, what risks ?

This type of spider favors warm regions. It is thus found around the Mediterranean basin. "At first, the humans do not realize the bite. Then swelling, redness and tenderness may appear within 8 hours", explains the Missouri Department of Conservation in the United States. "While death from a brown recluse spider bite (another name for the fiddler spider) is very unlikely, the skin at the bite site may ulcerate several days later, forming a deep open wound that heals slowly and is susceptible to infection." Fragile people (immunocompromised, allergic…) must therefore be particularly vigilant.

Are spiders generally dangerous ?

This sad episode reminds us why spiders have such a bad reputation. Some are even phobic about it (this is arachnophobia). But in reality, in France, spiders are generally harmless. Only a few species in the world have fangs long enough to penetrate human skin and venom powerful enough to kill.

Typically, a spider bite looks like any other insect bite: a red, inflamed bump, sometimes accompanied by itching or pain on the skin . It can even go unnoticed.

Despite everything, this Italian case reminds us that you must remain attentive, especially if you are allergic. If a local reaction continues to worsen for more than 24 hours (spreading redness, increased pain, necrosis, fever, fatigue…), seek medical attention.