Brown recluse spider bite! 🕷
This case involves a woman who woke up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water from her nightstand. Unfortunately, a brown recluse spider was on the top of her water bottle but she did not see it.
She took a drink from the bottle and the spider bit her tongue! This photo shows the severe damage caused by the spider bite.

While no one wants to be bitten by a spider, you REALLY don’t want a brown recluse to bite you. These spiders contain a rare toxin called sphingomyelinase D, which has the potential to destroy skin tissues.(Like shown in the photo)

🚨Did you know that a brown recluse’s bite is even more potent than that of a rattlesnake?

A brown recluse’s venom can destroy blood vessels, tissue, and nerves. The venom destroys blood vessels, which causes ischemia or a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the tissue. As a result, the skin tissue dies.

Treatment for brown recluse bites can include: antibiotics to prevent infections, wound dressings, surgery to remove necrotic tissue, and skin grafts or wound debridement to repair larger areas of damaged skin.

“Antivenin Latrodectus mactans” is the only spider antivenom currently available in the United States, but it is specifically for treatment of Black Widow spider bites. There is currently no antivenom available for Brown Recluse spider bites.