From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-10-04 16:12:06 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] just in case
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Now, according to Dr. Bruce Williams (who is exactly the right person to kn=
ow) almost all of the things called "spider bites" on ferrets are NOT but a=
re instead neoplasia and need to be removed <http://ferrethealth.org/archiv=
e/YG10473>, but now and then an actual bite does happen, as can bites or st=
ings from other arthropods or from vertebrates. I even recall someone who =
took a ferret to a beach where the little one was said to have had a bad en=
counter with a jelly fish. Remember that a huge number of spiders simply a=
re not large enough to pierce human skin, let alone tough ferret skin.
Still, it *may* make sense to alert people to the fact that poisonous Brown=
Widow spiders have now established themselves in Gulf Coast Mississippi, a=
nd are in Florida.
See:
http://www.healthyms.com/
Click on =
News
Open the related article.
Here is the Press Release:
BEGIN QUOTE:
MDH Medical Entomologist Reports New Poisonous Spider Found in Mississippi
October 3, 2006 =97 A new creepy crawly creature is now calling the Mississ=
ippi Gulf Coast home. The state's Medical Entomologist says that Mississipp=
ians need to know what to do if they bump into this new spider, cousin to t=
he very well-known Black Widow.
"The tropical 'Brown Widow' spider, new to the State of Mississippi, has re=
cently been captured in many locations along the Mississippi Gulf Coast," s=
aid Mississippi Department of Health (MDH) Medical Entomologist Dr. Jerome =
Goddard.
Dr. Goddard has been receiving many phone calls reporting buildings and gro=
unds heavily infested with this new type of spider.
"This spider is in the same family as the Black Widow, and is poisonous to =
humans," said Dr. Goddard. "I first heard of a collection of this spider at=
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi in early 2005 and figured it was probably=
just an isolated incident."
A Brown Widow spider can grow to one-and-a-half inches long. It is brown or=
grayish-brown instead of black and has an orange-to-yellow hourglass desig=
n on its underside, as opposed to the familiar red hourglass design on the =
Black Widow.
"That's a dead give-away," said Dr. Goddard. "When the hourglass design is =
yellowish or orange, instead of deep red, you know it is a Brown Widow."
The good news is that Brown Widows are not as aggressive as Black Widows, a=
nd although some scientific reports claim it is twice as poisonous, Dr. God=
dard doubts that.
"One very good medical review of 45 cases of Black Widow and Brown Widow bi=
tes showed that the symptoms of Brown Widow bites were mild and tended to b=
e restricted to the bite site and surrounding tissues (not the case with bl=
ack widows)," Dr. Goddard said. "Brown Widows will not attack if they are n=
ot bothered or made to feel threatened." He added that a Brown Widow will m=
ore than likely "play possum" if confronted by a potential enemy.
"They just ball up and fall to the ground when disturbed," said Dr. Goddard=
.=
Most spiders in Mississippi are unable to puncture human skin, and if they =
do, their venom is not generally harmful to humans. There are three main sp=
ider species in Mississippi that health officials like Dr. Goddard worry ab=
out -- the Black Widow, Brown Recluse, and now the Brown Widow.
Dr. Goddard has looked into the reports of the newest species of spider, wh=
ich now inhabits the Gulf Coast area; he is unaware of the new species exis=
ting anywhere else in Mississippi.
"I've gone down to the Gulf Coast several times and looked for myself," sai=
d Dr. Goddard. "They are, indeed, in many places."
"The Brown Widow probably originated in Africa, but has been introduced int=
o the tropics almost worldwide," said Dr. Goddard. According to Dr. Goddard=
, the spider probably made its way to Mississippi from Florida through comm=
ercial imports of plants, food, building materials, or furniture, he said.
The scientific name for the Brown Widow is Latrodectus geometricus. There a=
re about 30 described widow species including Black Widows, Red Widows, and=
the Brown Widows -- the Black Widow being the most common of the widow fam=
ily in Mississippi.
If bitten by any one of these spiders, seek medical assistance immediately.=
For control of Brown Widows around the home, Dr. Goddard recommends callin=
g a pest exterminator for a thorough perimeter treatment.
For more information on public health issues, the public can call the Missi=
ssippi Department of Health at 1-866 HLTHY 4 U (1-866-458-4948) or visit MD=
H online at www.HealthyMS.com.
=
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