Mediterranean black widow spider (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) poisoning in a metropolitan city in Turkey

Öz

Introduction: Black widow spider bites cause severe poisoning (latrodectism) with symptoms such as muscle spasm, rigidity, pain, vomiting, hypertension, and tachycardia. Although Latrodectus mactans (L. mactans) is the most well-known species to cause latrodectism, it has not been reported in Turkey. We report a poisoning case caused by Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (L. tredecimguttatus) spider a species known to be in Turkey for the first time in the literature. Case: A 35-year-old male patient presented with complaints of pain in the lower extremities and excessive sweating due to a spider bite. Discomfort, agitation, a sweaty appearance, tachycardia, and hypertensive attack were observed in the patient. Because black widow antivenom is not available in Turkey and because of the continuation of symptoms despite treatment for 12 hours in the emergency department, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he was given IV sedoanalgesia. Nicardipine infusion was administered to treat hypertension attack. The patient’s symptoms improved on the fifth day. The dead spider that was brought in was identified by an expert biologist as L. tredecimguttatus. Conclusion: It should be considered that latrodectism due to L. tredecimguttatus spider bite may be resistant to emergent treatment and hospitalization may be required.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• black widow
• Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
• poisoning

Kaynakça

1. 1. Timms PK, Gibbons RB. Latrodectism--effects of the black widow spider bite. The Western journal of medicine. 1986;144(3):315-7.
2. 2. Isbister GK, Fan HW. Spider bite. The Lancet. 2011;378(9808):2039-47.
3. 3. Bayram A, Yiğit N, Danışman T, Çorak İ, Sancak Z, Ulaşoğlu D. Venomous Spiders of Turkey (Araneae). Journal of Applied Biological Sciences. 2007;1(3):33-6.
4. 4. Cesaretli Y, Ozkan O. A clinical and epidemiological study on spider bites in Turkey. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine. 2011;4(2):159-62.
5. 5. Akyildiz B, Kurtoğlu S, Poyrazoğlu H, Ozcan A. Spider poisoning: a report of six cases from the Central Anatolian region, Turkey. The Turkish journal of pediatrics. 2009;51(6):598-604.
6. 6. Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (Rossi, 1790) 2020 [Available from: https://araneae.nmbe.ch/data/2138.
7. 7. Topçu A. A checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Serket. 2005;9(4):109-40.
8. 8. Camp NE. Black widow spider envenomation. Journal of emergency nursing. 2014;40(2):193-4.

9. 9. Saka M, Tekgüç H, Topçu A, Dursun O. Karadul Türü Örümcek Isırması Sonrası Ciddi Hipertansiyon. J Pediatr Emerg Intensive Care Med. 2015;2(2):95-8.
10. 10. Antoniou G, Iliopoulos D, Kalkouni R, Iliopoulou S, Rigakos G, Baka A. Latrodectus Envenomation in Greece. The Permanente journal. 2014;18(4):e155-8.
11. 11. Sari I, Zengin S, Davutoglu V, Yildirim C, Gunay N. Myocarditis after black widow spider envenomation. The American journal of emergency medicine. 2008;26(5):630.e1-3.
12. 12. Yaman M, Mete T, Ozer I, Yaman E, Beton O. Reversible Myocarditis and Pericarditis after Black Widow Spider Bite or Kounis Syndrome? Case Reports in Cardiology. 2015;2015:768089.
13. 13. Clark RF, Wethern-Kestner S, Vance MV, Gerkin R. Clinical presentation and treatment of black widow spider envenomation: a review of 163 cases. Annals of emergency medicine. 1992;21(7):782-7.
14. 14. Offerman SR, Daubert GP, Clark RF. The treatment of black widow spider envenomation with antivenin latrodectus mactans: a case series. The Permanente journal. 2011;15(3):76-81.
15. 15. Di Paola G, Cirronis M, Scaravaggi G, Castorani L, Petrolini VM, Locatelli CA. Latrodectism in Italy: First report of successful treatment of L. tredecimguttatus envenomation using L. mactans antivenom from North America. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology. 2020;179:107-10.