Spider’s Bite

You swear you’ve been bitten by a spider. Naturally you didn’t see the 8-legged critter – you were sleeping. But there are spiders in your house and you expended a lot of time cleaning cobwebs over the weekend. When you observe a red bump that looks like a bug bite, it’s only logical to think that it’s a spider bite. But when the little red bump becomes more spectacular and redder you ask yourself if perchance it was a poisonous spider. Or perhaps you’re allergic to spider bites. When the spot becomes big enough, you determine to see your doctor.

The above is a mutual scenario, sending thousands of people who are in need of medical care to their doctor each week. But if you go to your doctor with the above story, your doctor will likely say the lesion is not a spider bite.

Why? In recent years a new infection has been disseminating that has the aspect of what people assume is a spider bite. This infection, community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is not actually new. It’s been around in hospitals for decades, but in recent years it has moved into the community. Luckily, it’s in general not as severe as that seen in hospitals, in portion because it is victims are normally more salubrious than hospitalized patients, and likewise because the bacteria itself is somewhat less aggressive.

MRSA presents most commonly as a skin infection, but over the past few years I have seen other contagions caused by this microbe including pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and bowel infection. However, it has the potential to effect any body part.

The problem with this infection is that antibiotics that ordinarily work to kill staph germs do not inevitably kill off MRSA germs. Specifically, antibiotics that are ordinarily chosen to treat staph contagions (methicillin and other forms of penicillin) will not work. Nowadays if a staph infection is suspected, your doctor may treat you with two dissimilar types of antibiotics until the results of a culture are available. If there is a high prevalence of MRSA in your community, your physician may choose an antibiotic to treat this specific infection from the outset.

What’s the big deal regarding a staph infection? A lesion the size of a bug bite may heal itself if you have a good immune system. However, the peril is that it will disseminate to your blood stream, your bones, your heart, or your lungs – all potentially fatal infections.

Don’t take a chance. If you think you have a spider bite, and didn’t genuinely see the spider bite you, go to your doctor. There are effective antibiotics. It’s not worth dying in case you were wrong.

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

Spiders Bite Photo

Spiders Bite Image

Spiders Bite Picture

Spiders Bite Pic

Spiders Bite Picture

Spiders Bite Photo