It’s a bad experience that he will remember for a long time. A 17-year-old teenager was bitten by a violinist spider, a species that has recently been in the news after the death of two Italians this summer. The events date back to July 28, 2024. While the teenager, originally from Aude, was returning home on his scooter, he felt pain in his ankle, reports The Independent His mother first thought it was a sprain. “When he came back, he couldn’t put his foot on the ground anymore.”she testified.
But his son’s condition worsened in the following days: headaches, fever, and loss of appetite. In four days, the teenager even lost 5 kg. The doctor consulted did not immediately make the connection with a violin spider bite.
Curettage for necrotic tissue
A week later, and despite several consultations, the situation deteriorated: the unfortunate man’s ankle was swollen. “His foot was all necrotic and there was a hole. We went back to the hospital, they had never seen anything like it.”explains the mother. Doctors at the Grand Narbonne private hospital eventually diagnosed her with a violin spider bite. A 1.5-centimeter deep curettage was necessary to remove the necrotic tissue, our colleagues explain.
The violinist spider, or Loxosceles rufescens, is present in Mediterranean regions, particularly in Occitania, reports Futura Sciences . Small, brown and nocturnal, it generally avoids humans. Although its bites are rare and often benign, they can cause serious infections in vulnerable people, sometimes leading to organ failure, as evidenced by the two deaths in Italy this summer. This spider is not aggressive, however, and prefers dry and dark places.
