Can Spider Cause An Infection With Their Bite?

January 19, 2017

To this day there is still no solid evidence that spiders carry infectious bacteria on their fangs. However, this does not necessarily mean you are safe from infected bug bites. A study conducted in Brazil demonstrated that gangrene causing bacteria can be present on a brown recluse's fangs. Specifically, the study showed that thirty six percent of the brown recluse spiders used in the study had Clostridium perfringens, a gangrene causing bacteria, on their fangs. This study has not been replicated here in the United States; so many experts find the results of this Brazilian study inconclusive. A 2006 study conducted in America showed that only one in one hundred house spiders are carrying dangerous bacteria on their fangs. One American expert claims that it is likely that recluses have contaminated fangs since they scavenge for prey that is already dead. The germs from the decaying bug carcasses that the recluse eats could contaminate their fangs. So it may be possible to catch an infection from a spider bite, but very unlikely. Do you believe that you have had an infection in the past that was caused by a spider bite?