Does anyone have any idea which spider bit the dentist?

[Jeffh]

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/11970185p-12733318c.html

[prankster705]

A male of the atrax robustus a.k.a. sidney funnel web spider. might be soe other funnel web. might be something else.

[pitbulllady]

First of all, since no one actually SAW a spider, there is no way to know for certain if he was bitten by a spider in the first place. He could have easily been stung by an insect, or contracted a localized infection through some tiny opening in his skin or mucous membrane, or, as his doctor suggested, had an adverse reaction to something he'd taken or eaten. Just because a medication hasn't caused you trouble in the past does not mean that it can't, out of the blue, cause your body to react. I would think that if there'd been an Atrax robustum or other large Mygalomorph spider on the plane, SOMEBODY would have noticed it, especially if it was sitting right out on some guy's face! His symptoms are not typical of Latrodactus envenomation. I've seen wasp and ant stings cause some pretty bad reactions, and more than a few people living here in the American South wind up in hospitals due to Fire Ant stings each year. His conclusion of a "spider bite" was based on the opinion of his hospital roommate, for Pete's sake! Nowhere was it stated that this roommate was an expert on spiders or even of a medical background, so what would make him qualified to make such a statement?

pitbulllady

[Scolopendra55]

I aggree with pitbulllady, if nobody saw the spider it's hard to know for sure what bit him.

[Cheshire]

None of the species mentioned in the article had venom that remotely matched the symptoms in his face.

They found an infection in his eye socket, and a patch of skin on his thigh that started necrotising.

The lip was because of the eye socket, and the thigh was most likely a white back spider. Two conditions at once.

The white back spider is small and easily missed, so it could go un-noticed on the plane for a decent period of time. It's venom has the capability to cause slight necrosis, and with any puncture wound there always runs the risk of a secondary infection.

Case closed.

Anyone have figures on how many people are bitten by brown recluses in Oregon and Washington every year?:rolleyes: