What to do in the face of the bite of the corner spider that has already claimed two lives in less than 30 days

In the last 30 days, there have been two deaths from corner spider bites. (Loxosceles). On Sunday a year and a half baby died in less than 24 hours due to a late diagnosis in the town of Lincoln. In September, a 52-year-old man from La Plata died due to the lack of treatment for the arachnid’s venom. And it is that the aforementioned spider It is one of the three poisonous ones that live throughout the country, generally hidden in dark places such as behind furniture, paintings and armchairs.According to the Ministry of Health of the Nation, the corner spider, also known as “violin spider” it is very small (three centimeters) of brown color and of lucifugal habits (flees from the light), but not aggressive. It can be easily identified by the similarity of its cephalothorax (the fusion of the head with the thorax) with the shape of a violin. In dialogue with THE NATIONthe doctor and toxicologist of the Durand hospital, Dr. Francisco Dadic (MN 125795), said that ideally, the bite is identified as soon as possible and the corresponding antidote is administered within the first 12 to 24 hours.The Loxosceles or Spider of the corner lives throughout the country Ministry of Health On the other hand, he explained that the bite of this type of spider has three forms of presentation: “The first is a local form, which is the most frequent and represents 80% and 98% of cases”. He added that it is presented with “an inflammatory picture with edema, swelling and a marble-like pink coloration in the area where the bite occurred, which generates a lot of pain”. In turn, it is followed by ulceration and deep injury that can take months to heal. He also mentioned that the second form is called bruise skin, but “which is not so important”. And finally, he added that “the third is the cutaneous visceral hemolytic which is the serious”, because in addition to the local lesion with hemorrhages, it affects several organs, and more frequently the kidney. In Argentina there are three poisonous spiders: Latrodectus Sp. (Black Widow), loxosceles sp. (corner spider) and phoneutria sp. (banana spider). The triad is deadly if not detected and treated early. Dadic insisted that they have a neurotoxin which is what causes the destruction of the tissue and that alters coagulation and generates hemorrhages. When asked about the case of the baby, he said that whenever there is an “irritated” cry in a baby “you have to think of it as an investigation” and that if it shows signs such as edema and swelling “yes it was to suspect”. In addition, he pointed out that it is very important to know where he was when the swelling began, and to look for the signs because “at some point they appear.” Finally, he made reference to the fact that despite the number of fatal cases in Argentina due to poisonous spider bite “are not frequent” (0.05% per year), the antidote for the poison must be available, in case of consultation or doubt “in order to be administered”. And he criticized that although it is not necessary for antidotes to be in all medical centers, yes, there should be a toxicology center per zone, “but the truth is that it does not happen”.A minor detail that the expert mentioned is that spiders bite and do not sting like mosquitoes or bees since they do not have stingers or beaks. So that life is not in danger, the specialist recommended that The first thing to do is consult and approach a medical center “Because of the risk that it could be a poisonous spider like the three poisonous ones.” In turn, he maintained that it is very important “do no more damage”, in the bite area. “You don’t have to put anything on the wound, or cut it, or suck the poison,” he clarified. In addition, after the medical consultation with specialists, he said that You have to be very attentive “to the patient, if he has chills, sweating or belly pain” because “these are symptoms associated with a sting that help to think about the severity of the bite.”The 52-year-old man who died in La Plata from the bite of the corner spiderA24Meet The Trust Project