Brown Recluse Spider (Wikimedia/ Matt Britt)

The brown recluse spider, also known as violin spider or Loxosceles recluse, is a spider with venomous bite and is more dangerous than the black widow.

The brown recluse spider is rarely aggressive and the bites from these species are uncommon. This spider usually bites only when they are pressed against the skin, such as when they get entangled with clothes, towels or inside gloves.

The brown reclusive spider lives in dark corner, under the furniture, books and boxes. This spider can survive without food or water for six months.

The spider bears potentially deadly hemotoxic venom and their bites can cause necrosis, which means that the soft tissue surrounding the attack site gets destroyed and leaves its victims with deep scars.

Brown Recluse Spider (brownreclusespider.org)

These bites may take months to heal and can be painful and itchy. The danger of the bite also depends on where the bite occurred. The bite is most dangerous when it is near an important body part such as head, above a vital organ or near a joint.

The symptoms of the attack include nausea, vomiting, fever, and muscle and joint pain. The bites will rarely result in organ damage and even death, especially in children and elderly individuals or those with a weak immune system.

The below YouTube video shows Illinois man Dale Losher's encounter with a brown recluse spider in his home in 2002. Losher says he almost lost his legs after the doctors failed to identify the spider that bite him. The bite caused the venom to spread which destroyed and killed more tissue surrounding the bite:

Another video uploaded by Dr Good Wrench describes the encounter with brown recluse spider. He was also bitten by the spider on the leg.

Treatment

The treatment for the bite involves tetanus immunization, pain relievers and proper medication such as antibiotics and antihistamines.

The scar can be reduced by immediate medical attention. The first aid involves the process of applying an ice pack to control soreness and Aloe Vera to help control pain.

Steroids injection is a popular method of accelerating the healing process.

The most encounters with this spider occur inside or around cardboard boxes, in drawers or in basement rafters. Be carful before you put your hands into drawers and boxes.

YouTube