Yesterday afternoon, a 35-year-old man who had previously received pinch from spider «Black Widow».
Our unfortunate fellow citizen received the spider bite when he put on his work shoes which he had outside his house, near wood for the fireplace. The moment he felt the sting he didn’t pay much attention, as he thought it was some pebble or some thorn that stung him and continued his work.
About half an hour later, however, the pain started to become severe, so he took off his shoe to see what was going on, only to find that he had been bitten by a 2-3cm black ‘Black Widow’ spider which was still on his foot.
Within minutes the pain began to become unbearable, and as time went on his leg began to feel numb. He realized then that his condition was dangerous, and even though he has no relevant allergies, he got into his car to go to the General Hospital of Lefkada.
In the 10-15 minutes it took to get to the hospital, the pain had now become unbearable, and he could no longer feel his leg at all due to the numbness, while as he described on ilefkada.gr, he felt the pain “rising” towards the trunk of.
Immediately, the doctors and nursing staff of the General Hospital were aware of his condition and he was given the prescribed medication, while he was hospitalized in the evening for continuous monitoring.
Fortunately, everything went well and after 24 hours the pain had subsided enough that he was discharged and will be on medication for a few more days.
On the occasion of a similar incident of a “black widow” spider bite in the area of Trikala in July 2023, the Regional Unit of Trikala proceeded to inform the citizens about the protection measures, the symptoms of the bite and its treatment.
More specifically, the Head of the Directorate of Public Health and Social Care P.E. Trikalon and doctor of Public Health ESY MD, MPH Sotirios Nikolakakos said characteristically: “The Mediterranean Black Widow or Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is one of the two dangerous species of spider in Greece. It owes its name to the female’s tendency to literally eat her sexual partner after intercourse. It is black in color and characterized by 13 red splashes (rarely orange or yellow) on the back of its body. The female can reach a size of 1.5cm while the male is only 0.7cm. The venom of the black spider contains a powerful neurotoxin which makes it painful but also extremely dangerous. Its venom is said to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake.”
Continuing, Mr. Nikolakakos had also stated: “Most of the bites occur as the victim tries to put on shoes or gardening gloves that have been left in an open area by a spider that has ‘camped’ there. For this reason, it is recommended to avoid walking with bare feet or with open sandals where there is a high probability of poisonous spiders and scorpions. Instead, boots or closed shoes and long pants are recommended. Do not place hands or feet where poisonous insects may be hiding. Inspect clothing and footwear for hidden insects such as scorpions and spiders and shake clothing and footwear before wearing.’
Regarding the symptoms, Mr. Nikolakakos emphasized at the time that “The sting is often initially asymptomatic or presents mild pain. Generalized symptoms appear after 0.5-2 or more hours (pain, muscle tremors, weakness, numbness, headache, vomiting). Especially in children, tachycardia, salivation, restlessness, abdominal pains, muscle spasms, seizures can coexist. A rare occurrence is the “facies latrodectismica”. The victim’s face takes on a characteristic image: the jaw is clenched, swelling appears around the eyes which are tightly closed and watery. The whole face appears in contraction. Don’t forget, of course, that the sting can also lead to a more common but no less dangerous allergic reaction.
The treatment is hospital-based even for mild reactions and is based on treatment of the bite area, administration of analgesics, muscle relaxants, while in some cases antibiotic treatment may be needed. In more serious cases, it is possible to use a special antidote to the poison, which, however, needs special attention as it can lead to life-threatening allergic reactions.
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