Introduction: Loxoscelism is a medical condition resulting from the envenomation by recluse spiders (Loxoscelesspp.), which could lead to necrotic tissue symptoms. The only species of this genus recorded from Iran, Loxosceles rufescens, or the Mediterranean recluse spider, has a cosmopolitan distribution and have already been recorded from numerous parts of Iran, including Bandar Abbas. This st...

Atypical Early Presentations Early Lyme disease classically presents with a single erythema migrans (EM or "bull’s-eye") rash. The EM rash may be absent in over 50% of Lyme disease cases, however. Patients should be made aware of the significance of a range of rashes beyond the classic EM, including multiple, flat, raised, or blistering rashes. Central clearing was absent in over half of a seri...

Most spiders use venom to paralyze their prey and are commonly feared for their potential to cause injury to humans. In North America, one species in particular, Loxosceles reclusa (brown recluse spider, Sicariidae), causes the majority of necrotic wounds induced by the Araneae. However, its distributional limitations are poorly understood and, as a result, medical professionals routinely misdi...

In the first section respiratory failure and management is described in a most lucid and readable style. This is followed by a section on circulatory crises in which monitoring is clearly explained and such mysteries as the Swan Ganz catheter are unveiled. Fluid balance is well handled but this is followed by a very weak chapter on the acute abdomen. It is difficult to see why Mittelschmerz, he...

In 1987, the hobo spider, Tegenaria agrestis, was initially implicated in necrotic lesions in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This European-origin species has since joined the widow and recluse spiders to become the well-known trio of medically significant spiders in North America. It is currently distributed from British Columbia to Oregon and east to Montana and Colorado, with eas...

Brown recluse spider (Loxosceles) bites cause lesions ranging from chronic necrotic ulcers to acute life-threatening sepsis. Based on our experience in treating acute and chronic wounds with negative pressure, we postulated that vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) would be valuable in this application. Chester pigs were procured and injected with purified brown recluse spider venom, 1 µl of venom in ...