Local Dermonecrosis with Generalized Urticaria Probably Due to Loxosceles rufescens Bite

Ioannis Alexandros  Charitos; Leonardo  Pennisi; Anna Lepore; Luigi Santacroce

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2020.4128

Authors

Ioannis Alexandros Charitos Department Emergency/Urgent, National Poison Center, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria OO.RR. of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
Leonardo Pennisi Department Emergency/Urgent, National Poison Center, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria OO.RR. of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
Anna Lepore Department Emergency/Urgent, National Poison Center, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria OO.RR. of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
Luigi Santacroce Ionian Department, Microbiology and Virology Lab Unit, Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, Bari, Italy http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5671-8124

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.4128

Keywords:

Spider bites, Animal venoms, Skin lesions, Microbiologic examination, Loxosceles rufescens, Brown recluse spider

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The spiders of the Loxosceles genus, commonly denoted as “brown spiders” or “Mediterranean recluse” or “brown recluse,” belong to the spider family Sicariidae, suborder Labidognatha, order Araneida, class Arachnida, and phylum Arthropoda. This spider is widespread in Africa and South/Central America, but it is also distributed in North America, in the West Indies, in the Mediterranean Europe, and in China.

CASE REPORT: Here, we report the case of a severe dermonecrotic loxoscelism identified in Southern Italy, probably due to the bite of Loxosceles rufescens. The patient was a women admitted at hospital ER because of a little skin erythema that evolved toward a severe necrosis and ulceration within 20 days. After clinical and laboratory data excluded other local and systemic diseases, she was treated with a systemic and local therapy using corticosteroids and antibiotics with the diagnosis of loxoscelism. The healing from the local skin lesion occurred within 2 months, but the local pain, weakness, and discomfort lasted for a long time.

CONCLUSION: It is the fisrt time that a possible case of systemic loxoscelism with skin generalized urticaria is reported in Italy.

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