A series of poisonings due to spider bites (Latrodectus spp)
Main Article Content
Keywords
Spider Bites, Spider Venoms, Antivenins, Primary Health Care
Abstract
Background: In the state of Sonora, the bite of the spiders Latrodectus mactans, Latrodectus geometricus and Latrodectus hesperus, can cause serious health complications due to their toxicity.
Objective: To characterize the conditions under which poisonings by Latrodectus spider bites occurred.
Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of confirmed cases of poisoning by Latrodectus spider bites that occurred in municipalities of Sonora from 2021 to 2024.
Results: 65 cases of Latrodectus bites were obtained (52.3% men, 47.7% women). The 78.5% of the cases occurred in the home and 44.6% were recorded in bedrooms, the right lower limb was the most frequent anatomical area for bites (32.3%). Of the recorded cases, 98.5% presented some degree of poisoning and 1.5% were asymptomatic. The most frequent symptoms were intense pain (87.5%), itching (54.7%), and local edema (50.0%). The 68.8% of the poisoned individuals required one bottle of faboterápico for treatment.
Conclusions: Latrodectus bites occurred mostly in men, primarily in bedrooms at home while they were resting. The lesions were located primarily on the right lower and upper limbs (63.1%), and during the study period, 84.6% of the 65 reported cases received treatment, with no deaths reported.
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