A Black Widow Bites A Young Child

We have all heard of the notorious black widow spider. Apparently, if there is any spider to fear, then it is the black widow. Already this year, reports of black widow related medical problems have been numerous. There is one recent case involving a black widow bite that has been getting a lot of attention from people online. A Massachusetts mother has claimed that her daughter sustained a bite from a black widow spider.

The girl allegedly told her mother that she felt a strange sensation behind her leg. Upon inspection, it appeared as though the young girl’s leg had been injured somehow. The little girl’s parents posted a picture of the wound online, and since then a steady flow of comments have been pouring in from spider experts, and many other members of the public.

According to the managing director of the Florida Poison Control Center, Alfred Aleguas, the picture of the little girl’s wound shows many features that are not present when a person is bitten by a black widow spider. For example, a bite from a black widow bite is, indeed, quite painful, and the bite-wound may appear red at first, but the wound does not typically become black and blue. The girl claims that she never felt anything bite her, which is strange because black widow bites really hurt. The poison control expert believes that the girl may have sustained a bite from a brown recluse spider, which caused a skin infection.

While black widow bites are common, they are far from being the most reported of spider bites. According to the poison control expert who commented on the girl’s wound, this year, nineteen people from Florida have reported black widow bites, and last year that number was fifty seven.

A black widow bite may look no more serious than a mosquito bite, at first anyway. Eventually, the skin around the site of the wound will die, forming strange ring shapes around the wound. If you suspect that you have sustained a bite from a black widow, then call a poison control center immediately.

Have you ever felt the sensation of a spider bite? If you have, then which type of spider bit you?