So we all know about FS being bitten by a spider twice in less than a year; and that nobody else in the house has ever been bitten.
We're starting to get some very interesting information from doctors, toxicologists, venom experts and spider experts and I'm afraid, the humble spider appears not to be the culprit afterall even though the 'bite' and necrosis strongly resembles that of a poisonour spider bite.
Every person on earth has stapholococus bacteria living on their skin - some staph is good, some ok and some really bad - like the anti-biotic resistant strain that if untreated immediately, becomes necrotic in a couple of days and causes a secondary infection.
Here's what is suspected - a mozzie bite, scratched as we all do, break the skin on the bite and the staph gets in. Then by touching stuff like public door handles etc or perspiration getting into the little wound, the secondary infection or group of bacteria is introduced and the infection takes hold and takes off!
Here's an extract of the report:
Staphyloccocus (bacterial) infections that are resistant to penicillins - we call this condition MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aurea) - and these often result in surgery being necessary to remove dead flesh. And this is a condition that could recur. I give a link below that gives a very long list of pathogens that can result in necrosis.
http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/02/03/spider-bites-are-an-overrated-menace/ (Lyme disease is Tick Bite Fever in SA)
The report goes on to say that globally, spider bites are extremely rare and unless the spider is caught in the act, there's a very very small chance that anything that manifests or thought to be a spider bite, really is a spider bite.
Anyway, still waiting for a bunch of other results to come through but at this stage, the professionals are leaning towards that MRSA staph!
So here's to the 8-legged creatures with sincerest apologies for being so wrongly accused!
We're starting to get some very interesting information from doctors, toxicologists, venom experts and spider experts and I'm afraid, the humble spider appears not to be the culprit afterall even though the 'bite' and necrosis strongly resembles that of a poisonour spider bite.
Every person on earth has stapholococus bacteria living on their skin - some staph is good, some ok and some really bad - like the anti-biotic resistant strain that if untreated immediately, becomes necrotic in a couple of days and causes a secondary infection.
Here's what is suspected - a mozzie bite, scratched as we all do, break the skin on the bite and the staph gets in. Then by touching stuff like public door handles etc or perspiration getting into the little wound, the secondary infection or group of bacteria is introduced and the infection takes hold and takes off!
Here's an extract of the report:
Staphyloccocus (bacterial) infections that are resistant to penicillins - we call this condition MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aurea) - and these often result in surgery being necessary to remove dead flesh. And this is a condition that could recur. I give a link below that gives a very long list of pathogens that can result in necrosis.
http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/02/03/spider-bites-are-an-overrated-menace/ (Lyme disease is Tick Bite Fever in SA)
The report goes on to say that globally, spider bites are extremely rare and unless the spider is caught in the act, there's a very very small chance that anything that manifests or thought to be a spider bite, really is a spider bite.
Anyway, still waiting for a bunch of other results to come through but at this stage, the professionals are leaning towards that MRSA staph!
So here's to the 8-legged creatures with sincerest apologies for being so wrongly accused!
