Effects of Venom on the Heart

[blacktara]

Another general thought on this

When medicine attempts to acertain whether a new drug has a benefit in treating a condition, studies are undertaken. Studies that involve carefully planned and meticulously controlled trials of hundreds or THOUSANDS of cases/uses - The large numbers are so that statistically the study can have the power to be sure that the effect is from the drug and not from some confounding variable

With T venom - and this is NO OFFENSE to the members here who are experienced in keeping/ breeding/ studying venomous critters of all sorts - but what I am seeing is very small samples of what's called anecdotal evidence (a bite report - this is what happened to me on this day when I got bit or many times the even weaker - This is what I heard or thought I read somewhere) Let's face it - how many posts do we see here where people want to have a spider ID'd, and the best anyone can do is a tentative? How many pet stores and inexperienced dealers mislabel T's? I'm betting a significant number of people who have been bitten in fact cant be
positive just what it was that bit them

I'm NOT saying that any specific person here doesnt know their spiders. Quite the contrary. In fact, yall know a HELL of a lot more about individual species than I ever will. What I am saying is this - it seems that in general, T bites dont pose a serious threat to healthy humans, but we are nowehere near being able to say ALWAYS or NEVER, with ANY species of T

If you have a real significant heart conditon, or for that matter, ANY significant medical condition - asthma, diabetes, and so on, dont risk it with any species that is known or even suspected of being capable of unpleasant or significant envenomation, and do everything to avoid a bite. That would mean, dont handle them. It may seem overkill, and again, keeping them is ok and that of course involves risking possible contact in routine care, but beyond that, dont risk it

In short, if you have health problems, you shoudlnt strive to be the next Croc Hunter

 

[blacktara]

Fyi

Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (one of the foremost medical texbooks for American medicine) has this to say regarding tarantula bites - items in parenths are my addition

"Tarantulas are long-lived, hairy spiders of which 30 species are found in the United States, primarily in the southwest. The tarantulas that have become popular household pets are usually imported species with bright colors and a leg span of up to 25cm. Tarantulas bite only when threatened and cause no more harm than a bee sting, but the venom occasionally provokes deep pain and swelling. Several species are covered with urticating hairs that are launched in the thousands when a threatened spider rubs its hind legs across the dorsal abdomen. These hairs penetrate human skin and produce prutitic (itchy) papules that last for weeks. Failure to wear gloves or to wash the hands after handling the Chilean Rose tarantula, the most popular pet spider, has resulted in transfer of hairs to the eye and devastating ocular inflammation. Treatment of bites includes local washing and elevation of the bitten area, tetanus prophylaxis, and analgesic (painkiller) administration. Antihistamines and topical or systemic glucocorticoids are given for exposure to urticating hairs.

It goes on - Atrax robustus, the Sydney funnel-web spider of Australia,and Phoneutria species, the South American banana spiders, are among the most dangerous spiders in the world because of their aggressive behavior and potent neurotoxins. Envenomation by A. robustus causes a rapid progressive neuromuscular syndrome that can be fatal within 2 hrs. The bite of the banana spiders causes severe local pain followed by profound systemic symptoms and respiratory paralysis taht can lead to death within 2 to 6 hrs. Specific antivenins for envenomation by each of these species is available. Lycosa species (wolf spiders) are found throughout the world and may produce painful bites and transient local inflammation"

So there it is - no mention of death, but no distinction between even new world and old world, much less between different species. We know, in general, but have nowhere near enough data to be sure about every bite from every T

 

[T-kid's mom]

Venom research links for Becca

Interesting - I knew there was research going on, but I haven't paid attention to the exact condition being treated. I've got to go for more tests next week, but Tachycardia has been mentioned several times to me.

Becca,

For information about Fred Sach's research you can visit

http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/CENTERS/csmb/Sachs/

My daughter has been writing to medical researcher Fred Sachs for years. It's not tachacardia though, but atrial fibrilation that might be helped by rosea venom. Here area couple of articles that mention it.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/w....be4ecefc.html

http://www.buffalo.edu/reporter/vol3...s.html?print=1


Here are links to the USA Today articles Cory Loomis mentioned.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...ula-side_x.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...a-inside_x.htm


A Google search on Elizabeth Mule' might lead you to some more information if you're interested.

Susan
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