— Written By Joy Emeh
Updated on May 30, 2022
Brown recluse spiders, also known as violin spiders, have a venomous bite that can affect humans. Reactions to brown recluse bites can vary from mild to very serious. Although complications are rare, they can add to the severity of the condition. Getting prompt treatment can help alleviate symptoms and reduce the risk of complications, which can include necrosis, organ damage, and sometimes death. Brown recluse spiders are typically not very aggressive, and they only tend to bite when they feel threatened.
However, their bite can have negative effects on human health. It is important to know the symptoms of a brown recluse bite and what to do following one.
This article describes the brown recluse spider and how to identify its bite. It also discusses bite symptoms, treatment, first aid, when to contact a doctor after a bite, and more.
What is a brown recluse spider?
523137642 Helen King/Getty Images
The brown recluse spider is a type of spider that has a venomous bite. It comes from a genus of spiders called recluse spiders or Loxosceles. They are also known as brown spiders, violin spiders, and fiddleback spiders.
Brown recluse spiders have the scientific name Loxosceles reclusa.
In the United States, it is more common to find brown recluse spiders in the southern, western, and midwestern areas of the country.
They often inhabit dark, dry, and warm places, such as attics and basements. They also live under rocks and in crevices, boxes, drawers, bedsheets, wardrobes, cabinets, dead tree barks, and other similar locations.
The venom from a brown recluse bite is toxic and can destroy skin tissue.
When do brown recluse spiders bite?
Like the black widow spider, brown recluse spiders are not normally aggressive toward humans. In fact, it is possible to be around brown recluse spiders without ever experiencing a bite.
Brown recluse spiders most often bite when they feel threat or body pressure, such as if you were to try to hit them away, put on clothes they were in, or roll over them in bed.
Additionally, bites tend to occur more in the summer months.
Preventing bites
Although brown recluse spiders tend not to be aggressive, there are some additional measures you can take to avoid getting bitten.
These measures include:
- wearing clothes or covering all the skin with gloves, long sleeves, and boots while in common brown recluse habitats
- keeping children away from spider habitats, as children are more likely to experience severe complications or death following a bite
- preventing clutter and ideal spider habitats, such as not keeping clothes on the floor or woodpiles close to the house
- taking care to brush off boxes or discarded items before touching or carrying them
- checking your clothes before dressing
- using insect repellents or spider traps
Identifying a brown recluse bite
You may not know that a brown recluse spider has bitten you unless you see the spider on your skin. Brown recluse bites are also typically painless initially.
However, spider bites may leave tiny fang marks that may form two small puncture wounds.
It can also be hard to identify a brown recluse bite because many people misidentify other types of brown spiders as brown recluse spiders.
However, brown recluse spiders have a few distinctive identifying features that can help you differentiate them from other spiders if you are able to see the spider that bit you.
These include:
- Eyes: Most spiders have eight eyes arranged in two rows, whereas brown recluses have six eyes arranged in three pairs. If you are close enough and have captured a spider, this may be the most useful definitive feature, as brown recluse markings can vary.
- Markings: Brown recluses may have a violin shaped marking on the top of their head. However, this marking can vary in visibility and shape, and it is often not a helpful identifier.
- Body: Brown recluses have a uniform, unpatterned coloring to their abdomen, with fine hairs covering the body. They have two separately defined head and abdomen areas.
Additionally, misdiagnosis of lesions or areas of necrosis as brown recluse bites is common.
Some experts note that there are often clinical diagnoses and self-diagnoses of brown recluse bites in areas where brown recluses do not live.
Use ‘NOT RECLUSE’ to identify brown recluse bites
The mnemonic device “NOT RECLUSE” may help you remember information that distinguishes brown recluse bites from other conditions.
Each letter refers to a different characteristic of a bite or wound:
N – Numerous: Spiders typically only bite once in defense. If there are numerous lesions, it is less likely to be a spider bite.
O – Occurrence: Bites typically occur when a spider feels disturbed. If the wound has onset since working in one of their common habitats, it could be a spider bite.
T – Timing: Bites most frequently occur between the months of April and October.
R – Red center: Brown recluse bites typically have a pale, not red, central area.
E – Elevated: Bites from a brown recluse are usually flat.
C – Chronic: Brown recluse bites most commonly heal within 3 months.
L – Large: Brown recluse bites are rarely any bigger than 10 centimeters.
U – Ulcerates: Bites from a brown recluse do not form ulcers until around 7–14 days afterward.
S – Swollen: Brown recluse bites normally do not swell excessively unless they happen on the face or feet.
E – Exudative: Bites from a brown recluse do not produce exudative lesions. These are lesions that produce a clear to yellowish liquid. Brown recluse bites instead usually produce blisters or appear scab-like.
Pictures
Below are some pictures of what a brown recluse bite may look like.
This image shows a brown recluse bite in the initial stages. The affected area shows flushed and inflamed skin with a puncture mark.
CDC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A brown recluse bite can show tissue decay and flushed skin. This bite area is not swollen.
Robert D Brozek/Shutterstock
This image shows a brown recluse bite 3 days after the initial bite. The skin appears discolored, flushed, and has a lesion with a pale center.
Smirniotopoulos, M.D. JGSM – MedPix Images
This image shows a brown recluse bite after 6 days. The bite area shows an open wound and continued skin discoloration. Blistering with pale and blue tones indicates necrosis or an ulcer.
Smirniotopoulos, M.D. JGSM – MedPix Images
Below are some pictures of brown recluse spiders that may help with identifying a spider.
This is a brown recluse spider with no distinctive “violin-shaped” marking on the head. Brown recluses have two distinctly defined head and abdomen areas.
Photo credit: Pete Muller/iStockphoto
Brown recluses rarely measure any bigger than 10 centimeters (cm).
Photo credit: Nick626/Shutterstock
This is a brown recluse spider, clearly showing its six eyes arranged in three pairs.
Photo credit: Sari ONeal/Shutterstock
Symptoms and stages
The venom released when a brown recluse bites a person is toxic, and it can cause damage to the blood vessels, cell death, and damage to other tissues of the body.
The venom can also activate cytokines, which are cells that form part of the body’s immune response, to deal with the venom. These cytokines can also eventually be harmful to the body. This is because cytokines can destroy certain blood cells and platelets as well as cause organ damage.
However, it is important to remember that while some cases of brown recluse bites can have complications, the majority of bite symptoms remain local to the affected area and heal within a few weeks without complications or the need for medical care.
Minutes and hours after the bite
During the bite, you may not feel any pain at all. However, after around 3 hours, you may notice a stinging or painful sensation.
The skin may be tender, feel flushed, or have fang marks in the affected area.
After a brown recluse bite, it is common for a pale blister to form, which will later scar or heal. If you notice a blue tone or discoloration in the blister after it has formed, this may indicate progression to necrosis or an ulcer.
A necrotic blister or lesion may initially appear as a dry or sunken patch of skin that is bluish or discolored and has irregular edges. This lesion may have a pale center surrounded by redness. As the venom continues to cause necrosis and destroy tissue, the lesion may grow bigger over days or weeks.
Other symptoms
Additional symptoms may appear as time goes on. These symptoms may also vary depending on your body’s reaction to the bite.
Symptoms and health effects of a bite may be systemic, meaning that they affect many bodily systems rather than just the exact area bitten. Systemic reactions are more likely in children.
Symptoms can include:
- inflammation
- nausea and vomiting
- fever or chills
- dizziness
- severe itchiness
- a rash over the entire body, with many small discolored spots
- muscle pain
- joint pain
When to seek medical help
Although some brown recluse bites may heal without clinical care, it is still advisable to contact a doctor as soon as possible.
If you can capture the spider without the risk of another bite, bringing the spider in a sealed container may help with diagnosis.
However, even if you were unable to catch the spider, you should still seek medical help — especially if you notice pain or itching, blisters, or other symptoms that are consistent with a brown recluse bite.
Complications
For some people, brown recluse bites may cause complications and more serious effects on health.
Although they are less common, complications from brown recluse bites can include:
- necrosis
- an allergic reaction
- non-healing wounds
- inflammatory disease
- a secondary infection
- hemolysis and platelet destruction, leading to hemolytic anemia
- organ damage or disease, such as kidney failure
- coma
- death
What happens if you leave a brown recluse bite untreated?
In some people, a brown recluse bite can cause only mild symptoms, such as inflammation or flushed skin. However, in others, it can cause more severe effects, such as joint pain, hemolytic anemia, seizures, and even death.
Even if you have only mild symptoms, it is advisable to seek treatment to reduce the risk of the bite causing systemic complications. It is impossible to predict in the initial moments after a bite whether you will have a severe reaction or not.
Treatments
There is no recommended effective antivenom for treating brown recluse spider bites. Instead, treatment will focus on alleviating the symptoms and preventing or managing complications.
Clinical treatment can include:
- antihistamines
- antibiotics for secondary infections
- surgery to clean wounds, such as surgical excision
- tetanus booster vaccination
- steroids
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- skin grafting
First aid
While you are waiting to receive clinical care, some first aid treatments may help.
First aid treatments for spider bites include:
- washing the bitten area using water and soap
- wrapping an ice pack in a cloth and placing it over the area for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time
- staying still to prevent the venom from spreading
- elevating the bitten area above the level of the heart
- loosening any tight clothing
‘RICE’ therapy for first aid
You can use the mnemonic device “RICE” to remember some initial first aid steps for spider bites.
The letters of RICE each refer to a first aid action.
R – Rest.
I – Ice the wound.
C – Compress the affected area gently.
E – Elevate the affected area above the level of the heart.
Outlook
With effective treatment, people often survive the brown recluse bite and recover from it. Most cases of brown recluse bites cause only damage to the affected area.
However, in serious cases, recovery may take time.
Treated necrotic or non-healing wounds may leave a scar.
Additionally, although death from brown recluse bites is rare, it is possible — especially in children.
Summary
Brown recluse spiders typically bite only when threatened or handled. They tend to inhabit dark, warm areas, such as attics, cardboard boxes, clothes and closets, woodpiles, and other similar areas.
A bite from a brown recluse spider can cause mild to severe symptoms, typically starting as a pale blister, flushed skin, or two small puncture wounds. Symptoms may continue to develop, leading to pain, itching, or tissue decay.
Getting prompt treatment can help alleviate symptoms and reduce the risk or impact of any complications.
However, more serious cases may lead to complications such as necrosis, organ damage, and, in rare cases, death. Children are more likely to experience complications and death.
If you suspect that a spider bit you, it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible.