Efficacy of bites from Asiatic and African tarantulas
Schmidt, G.
Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Official Organ of Deutsche Tropenmedizinische Gesellschaft and of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit 40(2): 114
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0177-2392 PMID: 2772514 Document Number: 337279
Reactions to bites inflicted on their keepers in Europe by the following species of large, imported theraphosid "tarantula" spiders are reported: (1) Poecilotheria fasciata (Selenocosmiinae), said to be much feared for its bites in Sri Lanka, where it is common. Case 1: a bite on the 4th left finger of D.P., a West German 35-year-old man, was not very painful at the time but caused a burning sensation at the wound; that and the next finger could hardly be bent 1-2 days later and swelling developed 2 days after that. Intense manual labour meanwhile caused cramps in the affected fingers. Recovery was complete 8 days after commencement of swelling. Case 2: in Switzerland, a man was bitten on the upper arm. "A short time later he felt a violent dragging pain up to the axillar lymphonodi persisting about 20 minutes", after which the pain slowly faded. Case 3: in West Germany, a keeper of spiders was bitten briefly on the back of his hand. He experienced no pain. (2) Pterinochilus sp. (Harpactirinae), from Africa, considered potentially dangerous to man. A West German animal dealer was severely bitten on the thumb. He immediately extracted some of the toxin with a suction device, thereafter experiencing a "very violent burning" for about 1 h but with no further symptoms. (3) Euthalus vagans (Grammostoleae), Central America [Mexico to Colombia]. Subject D.P. was bitten on the 2nd left finger by a mature female of this species, with no effect. (4) Rhechosticta saltator (Grammostoleae) from Uruguay and Argentina. Subject D.P. bitten intensively by a sub-mature female on 4th left finger 1 year after (3), with only moderate pain for ca. 30 min. (5) Psalmopoeus cambridgei (Aviculariinae or Selenocosmiinae) from Trinidad. Subject D.P. bitten intensively by a mature female 3 years after (4) and 1 year before (1) on the same 4th left finger; intense pain (more so than after (1)) persisted for ca. 30 min. In none of these instances did subject D.P. receive medication. Three keepers of tarantulas in different parts of Europe were bitten on the back of a hand, upper arm, and a finger respectively, by Poecilotheria fasciata, a spider common in Sri Lanka. In one case there was no pain; in the second violent pain lasted for about 20 min; and in the third, although the bite was not particularly painful, the finger was difficult to move and remained swollen for 8 days. The last patient had previously been bitten by different large American tarantulas, with less severe results.A fourth person, an animal dealer, was bitten on the thumb by a young Pterinochilus tarantula, an African spider. Part of the venom was immediately extracted with a suction apparatus. A violent burning sensation persisted for about 1 h.Carolyn A. Brown.