Thai man bitten by Tarantula spider dies in hospital

[webfact]

Spider-bitten patient dies in hospital

BANGKOK: -- The man in Phrae province who was bitten by a Brown Tarantula spider and had his leg amputated to save his life has died of intestinal haemorrhage.

Dr Thongchai Meeluekarn, deputy director of Phrae provincial hospital, said that the patient, Mr Uthai Wiangkham, a native of Mae Puak, Den Chai district, was placed under 24-hour watch after he had his leg which was bitten by the spider amputated in order to spare his life.

However, he said the patient developed kidney failure after the surgery and his condition continued to deteriorate with intestinal haemorrhage being detected due to low blood platelet.

Mr Uthai’s body was later brought by his relatives back to his home town for funeral.

Mr Uthai was the first known fatality from spider bite in this country.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/spider-bitten-patient-dies-hospital/

[thaipbs]2014-07-29[/thaipbs]

[whybother]

Mr Uthai was the first known fatality from spider bite in this country.

 

 

And ... one of the first fatalities from a tarantula bite.

[ukrules]

I heard it was a brown recluse spider.

[ikke]

He did NOT die from tarantula bite !

He died because of the family thought to be medicinman and didn't take care in a proper way.

RIP for the guy, but totally blame to them who think with herbs and prayers to cure someone

[jacky54]

Surprised the relatives did not blame a curse or evil spirit, blaming the wrong spider seems like progress. Do they even have tarantulas here?

[wilcopops]

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by wilcopops

[bkkjames]

For Those interested - Dusit Zoo has a nice collection of different kinds Tarantulas near the crocodile exhibit, inside, before the gift shop. 

 

Condolences to the man in the article, a horrible way to go I imagine, bite, infection, amputation...death

[ukrules]

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

 

Anaphylactic shock can strike. Different people, different reaction.
 

[whybother]

I heard it was a brown recluse spider.

 

The Bangkok post reported that it was a brown recluse spider and that he was bitten on the back of the leg multiple times.  It also said that he didn't seek medical attention for 2 days and was admitted to hospital with kidney failure.  I think amputating his leg may have been a bit late given that his kidneys were already having problems.

[wilcopops]

 

Surprised the relatives did not blame a curse or evil spirit, blaming the wrong spider seems like progress. Do they even have tarantulas here?

cambodia there is a small town north of phnom penh called snoul (or something like that) where young girls walk among the bus rest stop tourists and selling live tarantulas. so must be some in thailand too. but have never seen a wild one near or in any accommodation or anywhere roaming about, sometimes see them at the fried insect sellers.

 

 

 

Not every large spider is a tarantula, there are however hundreds of species of tarantula spread over a large part of the tropical and desrt world....the largest are in South America.

Thailand has large spiders and venomous spiders but they are not necessarily one and the same. 

All spiders have a bite but VERY, VERY few are harmful to humans, let alone deadly.

Most f the information about spiders is driven by media hysteria and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

the are other animals - snakes and centipedes for instance that also have vey nasty bites......but if the victim's word is taken as gospel by the doctor, then you have a recipe for disaster.

[zydeco]

It was a brown recluse.  http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/outdoor-medicine/death-brown-recluse-spider-bite

[wilcopops]

 

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

 

Anaphylactic shock can strike. Different people, different reaction.
 

 

 

 

This can happen from anything from a RTA to a bee sting and should be easily recognised by a doctor.

I hardly think amputation would be a recommended procedure.

 

Apparetly "There is only one rapidly effective treatment for anaphylaxis -- epinephrine by injection"

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by wilcopops

[bumgun bridge]

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

ppl die from spider bites in some other countries. funnelweb and red back in australia for example.

[wilcopops]

 

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

ppl die from spider bites in some other countries. funnelweb and red back in australia for example.

 

 

 

Actually NO they DON"T! - Why not check out how many people have died from Redback  or Funnek web bites before you post that?

 

bites from both spiders normally require hospitalisation, but death is incredibly rare.

The red back is ubiquitous,

 

the funnel webs of which they are over 40 species, are the ones that everyone fears, the most dangerous from NSW is alleged to have claimed 13 lives the last in the 1980s. as the animal spends most of its life underground it is seldom encountered. The male likes to go looking for a mate, particularly after wet weather....this is she they get trodden on or otherwise encounter a human....usually a barefoot kid.  The animal is limited to a region around Sydney. There are of course loads of "urban myths" about this and ALL Australia venomous creatures.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by wilcopops

[bumgun bridge]

 

 

Surprised the relatives did not blame a curse or evil spirit, blaming the wrong spider seems like progress. Do they even have tarantulas here?

cambodia there is a small town north of phnom penh called snoul (or something like that) where young girls walk among the bus rest stop tourists and selling live tarantulas. so must be some in thailand too. but have never seen a wild one near or in any accommodation or anywhere roaming about, sometimes see them at the fried insect sellers.

 

 

 

Not every large spider is a tarantula, there are however hundreds of species of tarantula spread over a large part of the tropical and desrt world....the largest are in South America.

Thailand has large spiders and venomous spiders but they are not necessarily one and the same. 

All spiders have a bite but VERY, VERY few are harmful to humans, let alone deadly.

Most f the information about spiders is driven by media hysteria and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

the are other animals - snakes and centipedes for instance that also have vey nasty bites......but if the victim's word is taken as gospel by the doctor, then you have a recipe for disaster.

 

 

[bkkjames]

In a house I used to rent, I saw a big spider like this recluse - but not sure if it was it or something else. A big basta rd , captured him under a cup and a piece of paper and let him free outside. After readingt this, perhaps not the wisest choice to try to capture him?

[whybother]

 

 

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

ppl die from spider bites in some other countries. funnelweb and red back in australia for example.

 

 

 

Actually NO they DON"T! - Why not check out how many people have died from Redback  or Funnek web bites before you post that?

 

bites from both spiders normally require hospitalisation, but death is incredibly rare.

The red back is ubiquitous,

 

the funnel webs of which they are over 40 species, are the ones that everyone fears, the most dangerous from NSW is alleged to have claimed 13 lives the last in the 1980s. as the animal spends most of its life underground it is seldom encountered. The male likes to go looking for a mate, particularly after wet weather....this is she they get trodden on or otherwise encounter a human....usually a barefoot kid.  The animal is limited to a region around Sydney. There are of course loads of "urban myths" about this and ALL Australia venomous creatures.

 

 

People CAN die from funnel web and red back spider bites, but haven't since anti-venoms have been produced.

 

People can die from any spider bites if they aren't treated properly.

 

This guy died from a spider bite because he wasn't treated properly.

[bumgun bridge]

on checking, it is skun http://goo.gl/maps/DWI4F not snoul where the spider girls are in cambodia.

[monkey4u]

 

 

It was not a tarantula or a brown recluse.....people simply don't die of spider bites....unless they get the wrong kind of treatment or there is some delay or complication.

Or as seems possible someone decided that "traditional medicine" was suitable.

(let's just hope they didn't misdiagnose ebola!)

 

 

Let an Australian Funnel Web spider bite you and see how long you live without the proper treatment

[eightleggedfreak]

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

[whybother]

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

According to the Bangkok Post, "one of the spiders that the hospital tested was the poisonous brown recluse spider". 

 

Just because you couldn't find any doesn't mean that there aren't some around that have been imported from overseas.

Edited July 29, 2014 by whybother

[ChrisY1]

I heard it was a brown recluse spider.

 

Quite right...well as far as other media articles......but the author probably has only ever heard of a tarantula and wouldn't know the names of anything else!.....research with journalists is not one of their fortes'

[eightleggedfreak]

 

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

According to the Bangkok Post, "one of the spiders that the hospital tested was the poisonous brown recluse spider". 

 

Just because you couldn't find any doesn't mean that there aren't some around that have been imported from overseas.

 

 

... and they are not arachnologists - I have worked on spiders for 17 years. The spider they had was NOT a Brown Recluse

Edited July 29, 2014 by eightleggedfreak

[haybilly]

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

If you were on the team sent to search for this spider--then tell us more--what do you believe it was that bit this guy?
 

[JesseFrank]

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

So people are sent out to go look for the spider, as if it sits waiting for two days until the team arrives ?

 

I'm really curious how you expect to find a spider that has bitten someone two days earlier.

[eightleggedfreak]

 

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

If you were on the team sent to search for this spider--then tell us more--what do you believe it was that bit this guy?
 

 

 

We do not know what bit him. The main problem was he was bitten by something. He did not get medical help and this is what has resulted in him losing his leg, and eventually his life. 

 

There was a team of 4 experts - of which I was one - and around 50 entomologists, health workers and locals. We split into 4 groups and systematically searched the homes, gardens, out buildings of all the villages in that area. We did searches during the day and at night as the Brown recluse in nocturnal. We found many spiders and collected what we found and identified them. Most of what we found we totally harmless - jumping spiders, cellar spiders, gnaphosids and spitting spiders. We did also find the brown widow, which is poisonous. However, this is NOT what bit him as their venom is a neurotoxin and would not result in necrosis of the tissues. 

 

There are many many things here that bite and if bites are not dealt with and cleaned infections are common. This is not because of the venom. 

[eightleggedfreak]

 

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

So people are sent out to go look for the spider, as if it sits waiting for two days until the team arrives ?

 

I'm really curious how you expect to find a spider that has bitten someone two days earlier.

 

obviously we were not looking for that spider - they had collected it and taken it to the hospital but it was squashed and they decompose very quickly so a positive ID from the sample was not possible.

[sae57]

Tatantulas are big & scarry but not very poisonous. Brown recluses are relatively small (1/2'') and very poisonous, though not usually fatal. I'm pretty sure neither is native to SE Asia. The question is how do they know what kind of spider bit the man--or even that it was a spider bite? The progress of the poison sounds like it could be brown recluse, but who in the would would import these spiders from north america?

--S

okay more posts came in while I was writing: not a Brown Recluse.

Edited July 29, 2014 by sae57

[JesseFrank]

 

 

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

So people are sent out to go look for the spider, as if it sits waiting for two days until the team arrives ?

 

I'm really curious how you expect to find a spider that has bitten someone two days earlier.

 

 

obviously we were not looking for that spider - it was squashed and rotting in a plastic bag at the hospital. 

 

 

Even if it was squashed, wasn't it possible to identify it, or at least narrow down the identity ?

 

Edit : you answered my question while I was typing

Edited July 29, 2014 by JesseFrank

[whybother]

 

 

I was part of the team who went to Phrae to search for the suspected Brown recluse. None were found. This spider is NOT in Thailand. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before speculating as it is causing quite a bit of totally unnecessary panic.

 

As for them saying he was bitten by a tarantula that is a totally new theory - which is equally as untrue. There are several tarantula species in Thailand but their venom in pretty much not poisonous to us (I say pretty much as every person is different). However this man was NOT bitten by a tarantula either. 

 

According to the Bangkok Post, "one of the spiders that the hospital tested was the poisonous brown recluse spider". 

 

Just because you couldn't find any doesn't mean that there aren't some around that have been imported from overseas.

 

 

... and they are not arachnologists - I have worked on spiders for 17 years. The spider they had was NOT a Brown Recluse

 

 

My apologies.  I didn't realise you had done any tests on them.