Can a can brownrecluse kill you?

Question

Can a can brownrecluse kill you?

Answer 1

Not likely if you are a healthy adult.  They more severely affect children, the elderly and people with sever medical conditions.  However, prompt medical attention is required because if left untreated the bite can grow into a large wound and could result in amputation of an arm or leg.

Answer 2

The brownrecluse actually lays eggs in your skin where it bites you.  These eggs then hatch and the babies actually feed on your skin causing the bite to spread.  If you are bit seek medical attention immediately.  The eggs / bite area needs to be removed ASAP so this does not happen.

Answer 3

Brown recluse spiders do not lay eggs on human skin.

Brown recluse bites don't usually hurt immediately.  After a few hours there can be swelling, redness, and tenderness.

Most bites heal within a month without complications.

Some bites, however, form a blister or a patch with a pale center.  This patch can spread over weeks or even months, causing a large necrotic ulcer.  Sometimes this is accompanied by nausea/vomiting, fever, and chills.

Children, immunocompromised or very sick people, and the elderly are more likely to have a reaction to the venom.

I have seen several people with necrotic ulcers due to fiddleback (brown recluse) bites.  They had to receive IV antibiotics and have wound care for several weeks, but they did not die; they were just very uncomfortable.

I have known one elderly person who died several weeks after a necrotizing brown recluse bite.  She died of a heart attack, and it's unknown whether the infection contributed to it.

The bite itself, and the venom, won't kill you.  However, if you're immunocompromised (elderly, cancer, chemotherapy, HIV) you're at risk for infection that can indeed cause death.