A woman needed reconstructive surgery on her ear after she was bitten by a venomous spider while she slept.
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#1 A woman lost part of her ear when she was bitten by a Mediterranean recluse spider.
The 22-year-old, from the Netherlands, was left with a chunk of her ear missing after the Mediterranean recluse spider's venom turned part of it black.
Doctors had to remove the dead skin tissue before rebuilding it with cartilage taken from the patient's ribs.
#2 She needed reconstructive surgery on her ear after she was bitten by a venomous spider while she slept.
Her problems began when she woke up with a painful ear and was given antihistamine following a visit to a local hospital while on holiday in Italy.
But the swelling failed to go down, and by the time she had returned home, part of her ear had become severely infected and liquefied.
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#3 The dutch woman lost a chunk of her ear.
Dr Marieke van Wijk, who was involved in the surgery, said she believed it is the first evidence showing that recluse spider venom can destroy cartilage.
The spider's venom contains a mixture of chemicals that can kill skin and fat, making a bite difficult for doctors to treat.
But Dr van Wijk added that spiders were generally ‘not that dangerous', with venom only destroying blood cells in a small minority of cases if there is a severe immune reaction.
#4 Doctors performed reconstruction surgery using cartilage taken from the patient’s ribs
‘I wouldn't take precautions, but if one develops a mysterious red-white-and-blue and swollen lesion in summer, in an endemic region, keep the brown recluse in mind,' she said.
Recluse spiders rarely bite and don't usually inflict serious damage or scars, according to Dr van Wijk.
The case was reported in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
