The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2009 , Vol 51 , Num 6
Spider poisoning: a report of six cases from the Central Anatolian region, Turkey
Departments of 1Pediatric Intensive Care, 2Pediatric Endocrinology, and 3Pediatric Nephrology, Erciyes University
Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
Spiders exist in every place and ecosystem. Spiders in tropical regions are
particularly poisonous and can be dangerous to humans. Nearly 20,000 spider
species are known, and almost all are venomous, although only 60 species
worldwide are poisonous in humans. In our area, eight species are reported
as poisonous in humans. Although most cases of spider bite are benign
and require no intervention, severe local and systemic reactions may occur
sometimes in the pediatric population, resulting in admission to the pediatric
intensive care unit. In this report, we present the cases of six children from
the Central Anatolian region in Turkey who were seriously affected by spider
bites, and we review the literature on spider envenomation.
Keywords :
spider, children, poisoning.