Brown Recluse Spider

Because Brown Recluses like to live in heated homes, bites occur year round. And in just hours, a bite from the highly venomous Brown Recluse spider can create blisters and cause tissue damage to both people and pets within hours after the initial bite. Necrosis (death of cells) sets in quickly and the result is a very painful and "flesh-rotting" wound. Bites from Brown Recluse spiders can cause amputations, severe pain and in rare cases, death. Swift action is needed to minimize tissue damage and reduce the spread of the cell-killing venom. The brown recluse is one of two common spiders in the United States the other is the black widow that are considered poisonous, the National Institutes of Health said. The brown recluse spider is a venomous spider, Loxosceles reclusa, of the family Sicariidae (formerly of the family Loxoscelidae).

• It is usually between 1/4 and 3/4 inch (6.4-19.1mm) but may grow larger. It is brown and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its thorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider resulting in the nickname "fiddleback spider" or "violin spider".
• Coloring varies from light tan to brown and the violin marking may not be visible.
• They reach maturity in 10 to 12 months and can survive long periods of time without food or water.
• Individual spiders can be crushed underfoot or sprayed with an aerosol spray.

The brown recluse spider is native to the United States from the southern Midwest south to the Gulf of Mexico.  The native range lies roughly south of a line from southeastern Nebraska through southern Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana to southwestern Ohio. In the southern states, it is native from central Texas to western Georgia and into Florida.  Recluse spiders, which also include Mediterranean recluse spider (Loxosceles rufescens), build irregular webs that frequently include a shelter consisting of disorderly threads.

• Unlike most web weavers, they leave these webs at night to hunt. People get bitten when they unintentionally squeeze them in clothing and bedding.
• These spiders frequently build their webs in woodpiles and sheds, closets, garages, and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed.
• As indicated by its name, this spider is not aggressive and usually bites only when disturbed.

The initial bite frequently cannot be felt. The bite can produce severe dermonecrotic lesions or even systemic conditions (viscerocutaneous loxoscelism) with occasional fatalities.

• It is estimated that 80% of reported brown recluse bites may be misdiagnoses.
• The misdiagnosis of a wound as a brown recluse bite could delay proper treatment of serious diseases.
• There is now a test for brown recluse venom that can determine if a wound is a brown recluse bite.

The serious bites form a necrotising ulcer that destroys soft tissue and may take months to heal, leaving deep scars. The damaged tissue will become gangrenous and eventually slough away. Initially there may be no pain from a bite, but over time the wound may grow to as large as 10 inches (25 cm).  Bites may take up to seven hours to cause visible damage; more serious systemic effects may occur before this time, as venom of any kind spreads throughout the body in minutes. Deaths (1.5% of all cases) have been reported for the related South American species L. laeta and L. intermedia.

• Brown recluses vary in size, and can be up to 2-3 cm in total length. They are most active at night from spring to fall.
• Characteristic violin-shaped markings on their backs have led brown recluses to also be known as fiddleback spiders.
• Envenomation from the brown recluse elicits minimal initial sensation and frequently goes unnoticed until several hours later when the pain intensifies.
• An initial stinging sensation is replaced over 6-8 hours by severe pain and pruritus as local vasospasm causes the tissue to become ischemic.

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