Poisonous spiders of the genus Loxosceles rot human skin after being bitten - but this is still harmless for the eight-legged invaders.
It is a worrying and scientifically new case that has recently occurred in the United States.
A 31-year-old man went to the hospital in Tennessee after being bitten on his thigh by a venomous spider.
He complains of swollen hands and feet, loss of appetite, diarrhea and indefinable muscle pain.
Since necrosis forms at the site of the bite, the culprit is quickly identified as a brown recluse spider.
What happens then is disturbing, as
echo24.de
reports.
Brown recluse spiders belong to the genus Loxosceles, which could soon appear in Germany.
So far, after bites, the focus has been on human skin.
Because this rots (necrosis).
A "confidential document" on poisonous spider bites in Switzerland pointed out the Loxosceles danger as early as 2011 - because: "
These contain phospholipase D as the central poison component, an enzyme unique in the animal kingdom that destroys sphingomyelin and other components of membranes."
Dangerous poisonous spiders of the genus Loxosceles travel around the world thanks to goods exports
A holiday to Ibiza costs a teenager a finger after a brown violin spider (Loxosceles refuscens) fights back when the 19-year-old Welshman is unconsciously crushed.
Italy warns tourists about encounters with this species of Loxosceles in certain regions.
The genus has long since arrived in southern France.
While the Chilean angle spider (Loxosceles laeta), one of the five most dangerous spiders in the world, travels the globe thanks to goods exports.
The case of the 31-year-old after being bitten by the brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) sets new standards.
The doctors in the USA - in contrast to Germany - are well prepared for Loxosceles bites due to the endemic situation.
Because although the dissolution of red blood cells, acute kidney failure and muscle fiber breakdown are detected and measures are taken, the patient shows symptoms that are very different from these known symptoms:
Sensation of a light insect bite
progressive necrosis (death of cells and muscles)
in severe cases dissolution of red blood cells
Human victim of a Loxosceles spider species suffers heart muscle inflammation after being bitten
According to "kardiologie.org", the victim reacts as follows after being bitten by a brown recluse spider:
"After three days in the hospital, the patient suddenly develops chest pain.
Diffuse elevations in the ST segment can be seen in the ECG
, along with an increase in troponin.
Richard Sims and his colleagues report in the "JACC Case Reports" after coronary angiography:
"It shows non-obstructive coronary artery disease."
Is there an antidote for spider bites from Loxosceles species?
According to JACC Case Reports, there is an antidote against bites from the Loxosceles spider genus - but it seems to have to
be applied "within the first twelve hours after the bite in order to be effective"
.
And this is apparently not available in the USA or anywhere else.
Means: The 31-year-old suffers from heart muscle inflammation after being bitten by a poisonous spider of the genus Loxosceles.
According to "kardiologie.org", the US doctors assume that the spider bite triggered it:
"We are reporting here on the first known case of myocarditis associated with the bite of a brown recluse spider"
.
After all, the victim survived the attack after a stay in intensive care.
As a warning example considering the spread of Loxosceles.
List of rubrics: © dpa picture alliance/John Visser