unknown spider/insect bit

[Paul Johnson]

Semjase wrote:
> 
> This really does sound like a bacterial infection and possible necrosis caused
> by a venom.  Why wait for an ID it would be better to start treatment as it
> could turn sour later.
> 
> Best
>  S.>From: "Hiram" <hiram at qcislands.net.nospam>
> >Date: Mon, Jul 20, 1998 11:49 EDT
> >Message-id: <DGJs1.959$to.2667520 at newsread.com>
> >
> >I work at a small community hospital in NW Canada, on the Queen Charlotte
> >Islands.  About ten days ago one of our nurses who lives on an island about
> >ten minutes from town got (assumtion) bitten by an unknown insect/spider.
> >The symptoms and effect of that bite are, from our limited knowledge,
> >classic of a "brown recluse" spider, but this spider is not known here and
> >all the info I've seen indicates that it is only found in the southern
> >mid-west of USA.  I know of no other insect/spider here which results in
> >that kind of a bite, though I an unfamiliar with centipede or millipede
> >bites.
> >My quiery is this;  does anyone out there know of a place I can find a list
> >of the commonly found poisonous insects/spiders and etc found in the NW
> >coastal areas of Canada?  And, does anyone know if a brown recluse could
> >have hitch-hiked in and lived long enough to multiply here?  Anyone know of
> >any here that could cause the same kind of reaction?
> >Here, if you are interested, is a description of the wound;
> >Unknown, unseen agent of the bite
> >12 to 24 hours later, started as a mild irritation, progressed to a blister
> >surrounded by a "bruise", progressed to a debillitating large lesion on her
> >leg, now ten days later she is still on crutches but beginning to feel
> >better.  As an aside, this nurse has not been seen by us, only the wound
> >reported.  She refuses to "bother" her peers with her little problem.
> >Damn, women are tough.  No man would have put up with that.
> >
> >Baxter "Festus" RN
> >
> >
> >
> ></PRE></HTML>


Baxter:

	A good place to start would be:

		http://www.srv.net/~dkv/hoboindx.html

Darwin Vest's very informative web site on poisonous spiders.  There is 
excellent information on not only the hobo spider, but the brown recluse 
and other speices, as well as alternate explanations for bites, medical 
treatments, etc.

Paul

-- 
Paul C. Johnson               |  "Be sure you're right,
Natural Resources Department  |  then look again."
University of New Hampshire   |     John Henry Comstock
Durham, NH  03824             |http://pubpages.unh.edu/~pcj