BLACK WIDOW SPIDER TOXICITY

Course overview

THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER SPECIES, ALSO KNOWN BY ITS BIOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE AS THE LATRODECTUS SPECIES IS ONE OF MORE THAN 40,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF SPIDERS. CLINICALLY, IT IS ONE OF MOST SIGNIFICANT SPECIES OF SPIDERS WORLDWIDE. WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT ENVENOMATION AMONG ALL SPECIES OF SPIDERS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 DIFFERENT TYPES OF BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS WORLDWIDE; HOWEVER, NOT ALL SPECIES ARE AS RELEVANT DUE TO THEIR SEPARATION FROM HUMAN HABITAT. THE BLACK WIDOW, OR LATRODECTUS MACTANS, IS EASILY IDENTIFIED BY ITS CHARACTERISTIC SHINY BLACK BODY AND STRIKINGLY RED HOURGLASS-SHAPED MARKING ON THE ABDOMEN. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PRESENTATION OF A BLACK WIDOW SPIDER BITE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS MANAGEMENT.