Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 44, Issue 6 , Pages 605-607 , December 2004

Do hobo spider bites cause dermonecrotic injuries?

  • Richard S. Vetter, MS

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for reprints: Richard S. Vetter, MS, Department of Entomology, University of California–Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521; 951-827-7052, fax 951-827-3086
    • ,
  • Geoffrey K. Isbister, MD

References 

  1. Vest DK. Envenomation by Tegenaria agrestis (Walckenaer) spiders in rabbits. Toxicon. 1987;25:221–224
  2. Vest DK. Necrotic arachnidism in the northwest United States and its probable relationship to Tegenaria agrestis (Walckenaer) spiders. Toxicon. 1987;25:175–184
  3. Vetter RS, Roe AH, Bennett RG, et al. Distribution of the medically-implicated hobo spider (Araneae: Agelenidae) and a benign congener, Tegenaria duellica, in the United States and Canada. J Med Entomol. 2003;40:159–164
  4. Ribiero LA, Jorge MT, Piesco RV, et al. Wolf spider bites in Sao Paulo, Brazil: a clinical and epidemiological study of 515 cases. Toxicon. 1990;28:715–717
  5. Bettini S, Brignoli PM. Review of the spider families, with notes on the lesser-known poisonous forms. In:  Bettini S editors. Arthropod Venoms. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag; 1978;p. 103–118
  6. Sams HH, Dunnick CA, Smith ML, et al. Necrotic arachnidism. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001;44:561–573
  7. Sutherland SK. Necrotic arachnidism: a possible new Australian syndrome. [abstract] Toxicon. 1983;21(Suppl 3):435
  8. Spring WJ. A probable case of necrotizing arachnidism. Med J Aust. 1987;147:605–607
  9. Gray M. A significant illness that was produced by the white-tailed spider, Lampona cylindrata. Med J Aust. 1989;151:114–116
  10. Ibrahim N, Morgan MF, Ahmed MR. Arachnidism: a serious new Australian disease. Aust N Zeal J Surg. 1989;59:507–510
  11. Skinner MW, Butler CS. Necrotising arachnidism treated with hyperbaric oxygen. Med J Aust. 1995;162:372–373
  12. Chan SW. Recurrent necrotising arachnidism. Med J Aust. 1998;169:642–643
  13. Pincus SJ, Winkel KD, Hawdon GM, et al. Acute and recurrent skin ulceration after spider bite. Med J Aust. 1999;171:99–102
  14. White J. Debunking spider bite myths. Med J Aust. 2003;179:180–181
  15. Isbister GK, Gray MR. White-tail spider bite: a prospective study of 130 definite bites by Lampona species. Med J Aust. 2003;179:199–202
  16. Koh WL. When to worry about spider bites. Inaccurate diagnosis can have serious, even fatal, consequences. Postgrad Med. 1998;103:235–250
  17. Hahn I, Lewin NA, Arthropods . In:  Goldfrank LR,  Flomenbaum NE,  Lewin NA, et al. editor. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2002;p. 1573–1588
  18. Clark RF, Schneir AB. Arthropod bites and stings. In:  Tintinalli JE,  Kelen GD,  Stapczynski JS editor. Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2003;p. 1190–1200
  19. Sadler MA, Force RW, Solbrig RM, et al. Suspected Tegenaria agrestis envenomation. Ann Pharmacother. 2001;35:1490–1491
  20. Isbister GK, Seymour , Gray MR, et al. Bites by spiders of the family Theraphosidae in humans and canines. Toxicon. 2003;41:519–524
  21. Akre RD, Myhre EA. Biology and medical importance of the aggressive house spider, Tegenaria agrestis, in the Pacific Northwest (Arachnida: Araneae: Agelenidae). Melanderia. 1991;47:1–30
  22. Fisher RG, Kelly P, Krober MS, et al. Necrotic arachnidism. West J Med. 1994;160:570–572
  23. Bennett RG, Vetter RS. An approach to spider bites: erroneous attribution of dermonecrotic lesions to brown recluse or hobo spiders in Canada. Can Fam Phys. 2004;In press
  24. Necrotic arachnidism—Pacific Northwest, 1988-1996. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1996;45:433–436
  25. Vetter RS, Cushing PE, Crawford RL, et al. Diagnoses of brown recluse spider bites (loxoscelism) greatly outnumber actual verifications of the spider in four western American states. Toxicon. 2003;42:413–418
  26. Isbister GK, Whyte IM. Suspected white-tail spider bite and necrotic ulcers. Intern Med J. 2004;34:38–44
  27. Vetter RS, Bush SP. Reports of presumptive brown recluse spider bites reinforce improbable diagnosis in regions of North America where the spider is not endemic. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;35:442–445
  28. Vetter RS, Bush SP. The diagnosis of brown recluse spider bite is overused for dermonecrotic wounds of uncertain etiology. Ann Emerg Med. 2002;39:544–546
  29. Vetter RS, Edwards GB, James LF. Reports of envenomation by brown recluse spiders (Araneae: Sicariidae) outnumber verifications of Loxosceles spiders in Florida. J Med Entomol. 2004;41:593–597
  30. Binford GJ. An analysis of geographic and intersexual chemical variation in venoms of the spider Tegenaria agrestis (Agelenidae). Toxicon. 2001;39:955–968
  31. Isbister GK. Data collection in clinical toxicology: debunking myths and developing diagnostic algorithms. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2002;40:231–237
  32. Isbister GK, Gray MR. A prospective study of 750 definite spider bites, with expert spider identification. QJM. 2002;95:723–731
  33. Roche KJ, Chang MW, Lazarus H. Cutaneous anthrax infection. New Engl J Med. 2001;345:1611
  34. Vetter RS, Antonelli AL. How to identify (and misidentify) a hobo spider. Washington St Univ Coop Ext Pest Leaflet Ser. 2002;116:1–10Available at: http://pep.wsu.edu/pdf/PLS116_1.pdfAccessed February 9, 2004

 The authors report this study did not receive any outside funding or support.

PII: S0196-0644(04)00285-9

doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2004.03.016

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 44, Issue 6 , Pages 605-607 , December 2004

Article Tools