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A small species of spider that has appeared in Britain has a hideous reputation; the false widowSteatoda nobilis) is said to destroy tissues so much that human flesh literally sloughs off them. A research team examined whether there is a real basis for the horror stories surrounding the arthropod.
The false widow appeared in the island nation in the 1870s, allegedly arriving as cargo passengers from Madeira and the Canary Islands, writes the science portal Science Alert.
Today, its range already includes Ireland, and since it prefers warm places, it prefers to move into houses in winter. This, of course, increases the chances of coming into contact with a person.
According to zoologist John Dunbar, approximately 10 species of spiders are known in northwestern Europe whose tentacles are strong enough to pierce human skin.
Of these, the false widow is the only one that can cause a more serious problem that requires medical intervention.
In most cases, the sting of a false widow is no worse than that of a wasp; We feel uncomfortable pain for a few hours, but that’s it.
You don’t have to worry about the venom, but about the bacteria on its tentacle.
12 different dangerous pathogens can also settle in a spider’s mouth
In recent years, various newspaper articles from Britain have reported that many victims have suffered permanent damage after being bitten by a false widow; It was due to the death of the tissue whose limb had to be amputated, but there were also deaths that only increased panic among the population. Some experts believed that humans, not spiders, were responsible for these tragic cases, as scratching at the bite site with dirty fingernails could cause dangerous microbes to get under the skin.
To uncover the truth, Dunbar and his research team compared the false widow to two other species of biting spiders, the heretic spider (Amaurobius similis) and great corners (Eratigena atrica). The experts took samples from the bodies and oral organs of the arthropods and took a closer look at the venom of the false widow.
The venom was thought to keep spiders’ heads sterile, but it turned out not to be the case.
RNA analysis identified about 22 bacterial species in the false widow’s chew, 12 of which are dangerous to humans.
“Our study has shown that poisonous spiders can also carry dangerous bacteria that cause serious infections,” said microbiologist Neyaz Khan, author of a study published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
It is also a problem that some of the identified bacteria are classified as superbugs, that is, resistant to most drugs. Fortunately, infections caused by spider bites can still be treated well with an antibiotic called ciprofloxacin.
Khan emphasized that with the research he just released, they don’t want fuss; the vast majority of spider bites do not cause a life-threatening condition; however, if problems occur, doctors will already know from the results which therapy can be used to save the patient’s life.
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