Tarantula Venom Can Cause Death Yes or No

Yes or No


  • Total voters
    148

Sheri

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As per request...

How many of you believe that a tarantula bite could cause a human death as a result of the venom - not as a result of secondary infection to the wound?

See this thread for background.
 

becca81

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You may want to include a directly or indirectly choice.

Can the venom itself cause death - directly through the toxicity of the venom?

Or can the venom cause death indirectly - through (for example) increasing a person's heart rate who has a heart condition that makes the heart struggle to return to a normal pattern and rate. The death happened because of the person's condition, but the condition was agitated by the venom of the spider. Indirect death.

I don't know what I believe - I just posed the initial question looking for information, opinion, and experiences.
 

TimV

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As a twenty year beekeeper who knows next to nothing about t's, I would say yes, but the type of person who would die is almost certainly predisposed to die from some sort of shock. There are about 10 people who die every year in the US from bee stings, but a normal person would have to be stung 1000 times before big trouble starts.

Regards to the list.
 

Vys

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I know virtually nothing about venoms and human biology, but considering the myriad of conditions, permanent, semi-permanent, non-permanent, that the human body can be in, and the different bite reports concerning Poecilotherias and other Asian and African tarantulas, I'd say yes - it seems halfly naive to say nay. Then again, my imagination is somewhat free-ranging sometimes :)

But say, are we talking healthy adult here?
 
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Venom

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We're talking anyone, of any health or age.
 

Snipes

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i would say yes, but im thinking like a syringe full of venom being injected. I dont know if the amount of venom is a factor, but if it isnt, i would say no.
 

Mattyb

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I say yes, but i'm not sure, someone who gets bit in the head or neck may die, or someone who has some bad reactions to the venom, i guess it all depends on who gets bit.



-Mattyb
 

smokejuan

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I believe there are many variables to make a blanket statement. In many species considered potentually harmful or dangerous has a (cousin) somewhere who packs a hard punch. Then there are venom allergic reactions. People who's resporitory system is in distress. I f I had to bet one way or another then I would take a wild shot and say if it were 10 people bitten with a good dose of T's with significant venom like baboons or a pokie venom then I would expect most to feel very painful or ill reactions with one maybe two with minimal reactions and another one or two with something considered severe reaction possibly leading to death. This is just pure speculation from reading a few articles and bite reports.
 

Nerri1029

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WELL ..

as with most things the YES / NO answer comes with conditions...

you can't categorically say YES or NO.. to this question..


BUT I put down NO..

Even with poisons.. ( things that ARE considered Deadly ) the doses are listed as LD50.. meaning lethal dose for 50% of the test subjects..

If I took the lethal dose and YOU took the lethal dose .. one of us might not die.. THIS TIME.. next time another story..

SOOOO .. always there is a grey area..
 

shogun804

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honestly this is one of those questions that is easy, the answer is Yes. will it thats a different story :? . their are too many uncontrollable variables to account for. do i think someone has died because of a bite i suppose its possible but of course im with the rest of the crowd were is the proof?? will someone die of a T bite in the future who knows.
 

Deschain

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I think everyone who says yes so far have valid points, and that it is very possible to die from complications due to a pre-existing condition, coupled with a tarantula bite...but I'm confused as to why those concerns play a part in this poll/question?

It says
Sheri said:
As per request...

How many of you believe that a tarantula bite could cause a human death as a result of the venom...
As much as the debate could be expanded to include someone being bitten, and dying because they have an allergy, or a heart condition, a blood disease etc., which is I.M.O. very possible, it just doesn't apply here.

Could a human die as a direct result of the venom (the venom alone is the key point)? No. At least not from any species that has been discovered to date.
 

Spider-man 2

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Yes, I will be the first to die from a tarantula envenomation. As mentioned by someone.
 

BugToxin

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I say yes. If someone got really, really drunk (or stoned perhaps) and alowed themselves to be bitten repeatedly by a pokie or similar strong venom species I suspect that they could die. I do think that it would have to be really extreme (lots and lots of bites). Under normal conditions, even with a mild heart condition or similar health issue I suspect not, but you never know. :? :? :?
 

Ishkabibble

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...or if they got bit while on the the roof of a twenty story building, panicked and ran off of the twenty story building, they could die.
 

Deschain

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Ishkabibble said:
...or if they got bit while on the the roof of a twenty story building, panicked and ran off of the twenty story building, they could die.
:clap: That was funny, and it's pretty much my point. If someone were to die in this manner, it would be as a result of the fall and not the bite.

The trip down would be painfull, so the pavement might not be all that bad. :?
 

Windchaser

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Deschain said:
I think everyone who says yes so far have valid points, and that it is very possible to die from complications due to a pre-existing condition, coupled with a tarantula bite...but I'm confused as to why those concerns play a part in this poll/question?

It says

As much as the debate could be expanded to include someone being bitten, and dying because they have an allergy, or a heart condition, a blood disease etc., which is I.M.O. very possible, it just doesn't apply here.

Could a human die as a direct result of the venom (the venom alone is the key point)? No. At least not from any species that has been discovered to date.
I voted No in the poll. Valid points have been raised, but like you I don't believe that a tarantula's venom alone will kill someone. Other factors and conditions would need to exist to even make it a possibility.
 

Sean

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I say yes. Like I said in the other thread. If we are talking a person completly healthy, I dont think so. But if you are talking someone who has a heart problem, or respiratory problem. Than its a possibility. I don t consider them dangerous animals. But to be blinded by your love of these animals, and not believe at all that a T bite cant cause a death under any circumstances, is not being open minded about it imo. Like I said, probably not in a healthy person with no problems. But who knows with someone with a resp/heart problem.
 

Vys

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Venom said:
We're talking anyone, of any health or age.
How do you know that?
The question becomes rather absurd then, doesn't it?
 
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danread

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Vys said:
How do you know that?
The question becomes rather absurd then, doesn't it?
I agree. I think even Lelle would agree that tarantula venom could kill if we are talking about a bite to a newborn baby or a 100 year old person.
 
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