What is Tarantula Spider Toxicity?
Tarantulas, known for being the largest spiders in the world, are not just a single type of spider. In fact, there are more than 900 different types of tarantulas that belong to the family Theraphosidae, part of a larger group called the Mygolamorphae suborder which includes over 2500 species of spiders. Tarantulas are often found in tropical and subtropical areas around the world and are commonly kept as pets.
All tarantulas carry venom, but tarantulas known as new world tarantulas also have special hairs on their abdomen. Contact with these hairs can result in intense inflammation, which means the area becomes swollen and painful.
What Causes Tarantula Spider Toxicity?
Tarantula venom is a mixture of various enzymes and nucleotides, which could be the reason for pain, tissue death (necrosis), and whole body (systemic) reactions. However, these serious side effects are relatively uncommon. The more common cause of injury is skin, lung, and eye irritation caused by tiny, stinging hairs called urticating hairs.
As a means of self-defense, tarantulas use their legs to release these hairs from their abdomen into the air. The airborne hairs can then make contact with your skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. If these hairs touch your skin, they can cause severe itching, histamine release (your body’s allergic response), and in some cases even systemic reactions.
Additionally, if you touch these hairs, then rub your eyes, the tiny hairs can end up in your eyes. The most serious injuries happen when these hairs are breathed in, which could cause shortness of breath and reactions affecting the airways. Also, when these hairs get stuck in the cornea (the clear front surface of your eye), it can cause long-term complications.
Risk Factors and Frequency for Tarantula Spider Toxicity
Injuries caused by tarantulas are quite rare. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported only 44 cases in 2018, and only 17 of those needed medical attention at a clinic or hospital. Most incidents involved adults and only resulted in minor injuries. The main reason for these exposures is due to the popularity of tarantulas as pets.
Although tarantulas’ venom can be deadly to insects and laboratory mice, there haven’t been any cases of humans dying from a tarantula bite. But, bites from certain types of tarantulas can cause a lot of discomfort.
Signs and Symptoms of Tarantula Spider Toxicity
Tarantulas, despite being native to various parts of the world, are increasingly coming into contact with humans due to their popularity as pets. If you’ve been bitten by a tarantula or exposed to its hairs, you might experience certain physical reactions. You will usually remember a recent encounter with a tarantula because of their distinct appearance.
If a tarantula bites you, you might experience local reactions like itching, swelling, and mild to severe pain that lasts for several hours. Some bites can be painless, and others can take a few hours to a few days to show symptoms. Depending on the species of the tarantula, the bite area may also show signs of tissue damage over time.
If you come into contact with a tarantula’s bristly hairs, you might experience a different set of symptoms. You could experience moderate to severe pain, itchiness, and redness that can last weeks. The symptoms you experience will depend on where the contact occurred. Exposure of the hairs to your skin often results in the previously mentioned local symptoms.
- If inhaled, the hairs can cause runny nose, cough, difficulty in breathing, and wheezing.
- If your eyes come into contact with the hairs, they may become painful, red, and inflamed due to irritation of the cornea or the white part of your eye. This condition is known as ophthalmia nodosa. Over time, this might develop into a more serious eye condition.
While it’s rare, some individuals might have severe allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, to a tarantula bite or exposure to their hairs.
Testing for Tarantula Spider Toxicity
While there’s no specific lab test that can clearly identify a bite or exposure to a tarantula’s irritating hairs, a careful look at your symptoms and history is often all that’s needed to make the call. Typically, a certain bite can be confirmed if you saw the spider bite you, if the spider was caught and identified by an expert, and if you experienced symptoms like pain or discomfort after the bite.
Given the size and distinct look of tarantulas, it’s usually not critical to have this kind of definite proof to make a diagnosis. If you describe a situation where it’s likely you were exposed to a tarantula, that’s often enough to inform the doctor’s decision.
The area around the bite or the affected skin will be carefully examined. Sometimes, you might suspect a spider bite even if you didn’t clearly see a spider. If there are signs of infection like swelling or pus at the bite site, the area of concern might actually be an infection rather than a bite.
If you’re having problems with your eyes, like pain or changes in your vision, or if you think you might have been exposed to a tarantula’s irritating hairs in your eyes, a specialized eye exam (slit-lamp exam) might be performed. This will allow the doctor to look for any hairs stuck in the front part of your eye (the cornea) or in the thin tissue covering the front of the eye (the conjunctiva).
If the situation is a bit unclear, your doctor might order basic blood tests such as a complete blood count or metabolic panel. These tests can help rule out other conditions that might look like a tarantula bite or exposure. If there’s a wound, a sample may be taken for culturing to identify any bacteria present that could be causing an infection.
Treatment Options for Tarantula Spider Toxicity
Treatment for tarantula bites or contact with their stinging hair mainly involves providing relief and support.
In case of skin exposure, cold packs and painkillers can help alleviate the pain. Raising the affected limb above the heart level might also offer some relief. Itching can be reduced by using steroid creams, antihistamine medications, or a combination of both. An effective method to remove the stinging hairs is the use of tape, which might have to be repeated several times. Thoroughly cleaning the wound is essential, and a tetanus shot might be needed in certain cases. While you should keep an eye out for signs of infection, regular use of antibiotics after tarantula bites or hair contact usually isn’t required.
If you have any breathing issues, it is recommended to take medicines that antihistamines which help reduce allergic reaction symptoms, bronchodilators that widen the air passages, and corticosteroids which reduce inflammation. If it gets severe, immediate medical attention is required to manage your airway issues and you may need specialist intervention.
If the eyes are affected, you should avoid rubbing the eye and wear an eye shield to prevent further damage. An early consultation with an eye specialist is necessary as removing the stinging hairs early can help avoid long-term problems, including a condition known as ophthalmia nodosa. Using steroid eye drops can help, but this decision should be taken in consultation with an eye specialist.
In the unlikely event of a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, you should immediately seek emergency medical care as you would for any severe allergic reactions.
What else can Tarantula Spider Toxicity be?
When deciding if a patient’s symptoms might be due to a tarantula bite or exposure, doctors need to know the person’s recent history or experiences. Tarantulas are big, noticeable spiders that are usually easy for teens and adults to identify. However, several other creatures can cause similar symptoms, including:
- Black widow spider bites
- Ant bites
- Scorpion stings
If someone has been bitten by a tarantula, they could have skin damage that makes it look like they have a deep skin infection, like cellulitis, an abscess, or necrotizing fasciitis. Skin reactions from tarantula hairs can look like other skin conditions:
- Contact dermatitis
- Hives or urticaria
- Systemic reactions like anaphylaxis from exposures to other things in the environment
Ocular problems (eye symptoms) from tarantulas can initially look similar to keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) or conjunctivitis (pink eye), and later, the appearance can be similar to diseases that cause inflammatory growths in the eye.
Other organisms, like caterpillars with spiny hairs, can cause similar reactions, including a condition called ophthalmia nodosa, which is a reaction in the eye to hair or fiber fragments.
What to expect with Tarantula Spider Toxicity
Generally, if you’re bitten by a tarantula, you’re likely to recover well with simple treatment methods. The usual care includes cleaning the wound and managing the pain. In some rare cases, more thorough wound care, including removing damaged or infected tissue (called debridement), might be needed.
The pain from a tarantula bite can last for several hours. If you’ve been exposed to the irritating hairs of a tarantula, you might feel itchy, but this usually goes away on its own and can be eased with symptomatic treatment.
However, in a few rare cases, particularly from rare tarantula species like those in the Poeciltheria genus, severe muscle cramps can occur, starting later after the bite and lasting up to three weeks.
Possible Complications When Diagnosed with Tarantula Spider Toxicity
While tarantula-related injuries can cause intense reactions right away, it’s not common for them to cause long-term problems. The main complications that do happen are usually eye injuries from urticating hairs, those tiny, irritating hairs on a tarantula’s body. Rarely, these injuries can lead to lasting vision loss due to damage to the cornea and other parts of the eye, leading to conditions like panuveitis, cataracts, and glaucoma. If these hairs get deep into the eye, they can cause ongoing irritation. That’s why it’s important to get an eye check and remove any hairs early to prevent them from going deeper into the eye and causing long-term problems with vision.
Related Complications:
- Eye injuries from urticating hairs
- Potential for lasting vision loss
- Corneal damage
- Panuveitis
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Deep penetration of hairs causing ongoing irritation
Preventing Tarantula Spider Toxicity
It’s important for anyone who handles tarantulas, whether they’re pets or wild, to take special safety precautions. Wearing goggles or other eye protection can help keep your eyes safe. Wearing gloves, if you can, is also a good idea. Always make sure to wash your hands right after you’ve been handling a tarantula. Be very careful not to touch your face or eyes while you’re handling the spider, and also afterwards.
