A Case of Brown Widow Envenomation in Central Florida.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Earwood, Ryan C Ladde, Jay Giordano, Philip A
Editor	Muacevic, Alexander Adler, John R
Copyright Year	2020
Abstract	Latrodectus geometricus, also known as the brown widow or brown button spider, is an unrenowned relative of the American black widow. While brown widow envenomation is generally thought of as mild, it does have the potential to lead to moderate or severe features similar to black widow bites. We report a case of brown widow envenomation that led to a moderate reaction including rash, local pain, pain radiating proximally in the extremity and nausea. Poison control was consulted for aid in spider identification. The patient was treated for pain control and muscle relaxation and monitored for eight hours. After proper tetanus prophylaxis, the patient was successfully discharged home with well-controlled, but continued mild symptoms. This case highlights a little-known, but clinically relevant species of widow spider with a wide distribution. Expeditious identification and treatment of brown widow bites can increase patient comfort, satisfaction, and discharge rates.
Journal	Cureus
Volume Number	12
DOI	10.7759/cureus.9165
PubMed Central reference number	PMC7419144
Issue Number	7
PubMed reference number	32802602
e-ISSN	21688184
Language	English
Publisher	Cureus
Publisher Date	2020-07-13
Publisher Place	Palo Alto (CA)
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	brown widow widow spider bite wilderness medicine envenomation toxicology insect arachnid antivenom
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Case study
Subject	Medicine