Recluse bite results in death

The Snark · Jul 28, 2014

http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/422905/1st-thai-death-from-recluse-spider

Which is a followup of
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/421283/man-critical-after-spider-bite

Numerous spiders were caught and examined. A Loxosceles, claimed to be Reclusa, was confirmed among them. The bite itself fitted the profile of loxoscelism.
It is very common here as in much of the third world to ignore injuries for extended periods. Limb loss from gangrene is still relatively common. It this case, necrosis was well established before he sought medical care. He did not respond to normal treatments for gangrene which later confirmed the spider venom as the MOI.

If these links don't work I can cut and paste the articles.

Python · Jul 28, 2014

It's a sad story to be sure. Sadly, earlier treatment might have kept the infections at bay and his life might have been spared. Definitely a lesson to be learned.

The Snark · Jul 28, 2014

Typical example. My former landlord in Mae Rim near Chiang Mai worked for the Army tending mules. (The army frequently has to use pack mules to establish camps in many outlying area.) He had a minor cut on his foot which he treated haphazardly as most people do. This is not something you do if you work around stables. Ultimately his third amputation, ankle, knee then upper thigh finally arrested the infection. This is an all too common scenario, especially in the third world.

Smokehound714 · Jul 28, 2014

I had no idea L. Reclusa was present in Bangkok, hahaha.

Good old misinformative media..

The Snark · Jul 28, 2014

Smokehound714 said:
I had no idea L. Reclusa was present in Bangkok, hahaha.

Good old misinformative media..

This incident was in Phrae, the center of the known universe. Actually, while Phrae is a junction town with the major highway from Bangkok running through it, it isn't exactly a major shipping location. Couple that with a local farmer getting bit seems to point at this is probably not an isolated single spider but a stealth population.
This really isn't good in that there are no native spiders that pose a threat to humans. The big fear here is caterpillars which are far more dangerous. Show the average local farmer a spider they will peer curiously. Show them a caterpillar and get the same histrionics arachnophobes get into in America. So with Latro and Loxo moving in it looks like a new paradigm is coming about.

klawfran3 · Jul 28, 2014

The Snark said:
This incident was in Phrae, the center of the known universe. Actually, while Phrae is a junction town with the major highway from Bangkok running through it, it isn't exactly a major shipping location. Couple that with a local farmer getting bit seems to point at this is probably not an isolated single spider but a stealth population.
This really isn't good in that there are no native spiders that pose a threat to humans. The big fear here is caterpillars which are far more dangerous. Show the average local farmer a spider they will peer curiously. Show them a caterpillar and get the same histrionics arachnophobes get into in America. So with Latro and Loxo moving in it looks like a new paradigm is coming about.

i assume this is because of the urticating hairs on some caterpillars? I know of one saturniid moth that can kill someone with them...

The Snark · Jul 29, 2014

klawfran3 said:
i assume this is because of the urticating hairs on some caterpillars? I know of one saturniid moth that can kill someone with them...

No. Several species of caterpillar here have spines packing a toxin nearly equal in potency and with similar effect to the cone shell.
As a toddler my wife brushed against a common caterpillar, was delivered to a hospital as she went into respiratory arrest and spent 10 days on life support. Not all that unusual especially in northern Thailand.

Recluse bite results in death

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