Stupid, drunk and owner of a venomous exotic pet... Bad combination
A UK man is recovering from a tarantula bite that occurred when he, apparently in a drunken stupor, encouraged the venomous critter to bite him. (I suspect the "victim" has a pretty high endogenous level of stupidity, because I don't think you could get me drunk enough to say "Hey, maybe I should let an enormous venomous spider bite me!")
The character in question, Peter Saunders, stated "It was completely my own fault. I provoked the spider into biting me on my index finger so I can't complain about the consequences at all." At least the statement demonstrates some degree of logical thought. He ended up getting more than he bargained for, since the bite was a lot more painful than he anticipated. The day after the bite (presumably along with a massive hangover), Mr. Saunders' arm went numb and he was given various antibiotics to help treat a suspected secondary infection.
Unfortunately, the moment of clarity represented by his understanding that it was all his fault passed quickly since "... this incident has not put him off keeping these pets and he is considering buying more exotic creatures in the future." Let's hope he doesn't decide to see what it feels like when an African lion chews on his throat.
Photo: Fort Hall Baboon Tarantula (source: www.lotsalegs.tenczar.net)
Eye protection urged for people with tarantulas
I've never really understood the appeal of tarantulas as pets. I'm sure there are some people that think they're great pets and I can't really counter with anything beyond "I don't have any desire to have a massive spider in my house." Nevertheless, many people have them. Recently, a rather unusual health concern was reported at medpagetoday.com following publication of a peculiar case report (Norris et al) in the most recent issue of The Lancet.
Hairs on the hind end of the Chilean Rose tarantula, as well as others, have barbed tips. These spiders can release hairs as a defense mechanism. A British tarantula owner was leaning into the spider's terrarium one day when it "doused" his face with a mist of hairs.
When he presented at the ophthalmology clinic three weeks later, his right eye was red, watery, and uncomfortable in bright light. His Snellen visual acuity had degraded to 6/9, versus 6/4 in his unaffected left eye.
Carrim and colleagues reported that initial low-power examination showed diffuse conjunctival injection and multiple corneal subepithelial infiltrates, "visible as scattered white spots."
They initially suspected a viral infection, but higher magnification revealed "fine, hairlike projections" at the center of each spot, with varying depths into the cornea.
At that point, he mentioned the tarantula hair exposure. After 6 months of intensive treatment, his eye problems have greatly improved, and he now wears eye protection around the tarantula.
It's unclear how common this is. There have been other reports of this problem and certainly there must have been other unreported cases. Overall, it's probably rare for tarantula owners to be affected but it seems like a pretty nasty problem and one you'd want to avoid. Pets like tarantulas often come and go in popularity, and any upswing in tarantula numbers could result in more eye injuries. People need to be aware of this problem if they own, or are thinking about acquiring, a tarantula. Animal exhibits that have tarantulas and any other places where tarantulas may be present (e.g. schools) need to think about this as well. Wearing eye protection when handling these spiders in close quarters, keeping your face of the terrarium, avoiding stressful situations that might make the tarantula release hairs, good handling skills and restricting close contact seem like logical and practical measures to reduce the risk.
Image: Chilean Rose tarantula (source: www.wikipedia.org)
