Brown spider (Loxosceles sp.) bite and COVID-19: A case report

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 212; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Marceli Dias, Veiga, Silvio Sanches, dos Santos, Fábio André
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2022
• Subjects: Animals; Brown Recluse Spider; Brown spider; COVID-19; Humans; Inflammatory response; Lip; Male; Pandemics; Spider bite; Spider Bites - diagnosis; Spider Bites - therapy; Spider Venoms; Spiders; COVID-19; Inflammatory response; Brown spider; Lip; Spider bite
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.03.015

We present the case of a 32-year-old male patient hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic because of a Brown spider bite on his lower lip. The Brown spider accident occurred in southern Brazil; at hospital admission, the patient presented on his lip: edema, pustules, necrotic regions, and ulcerations. The patient complained of lower back pain, fever and dyspnea. Laboratory tests showed monocytosis, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, increased D-dimer levels, C-reactive protein, glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, delta bilirubin, creatine phosphokinase, procalcitonin, and fibrinogen. The patient was hospitalized and a multi-professional team carried out the treatment. The medical team diagnosed loxoscelism with moderate changes. The dentist treated the oral cavity. The patient began to develop nausea, vomiting, and desaturation episodes during hospitalization. A computed tomography of the chest was performed, which showed signs of viral infection. The RT-PCR test for COVID-19 was positive. The systemic conditions worsened (renal dysfunction, systemic inflammatory response, pulmonary complications). This condition may have resulted from the association of the two diseases (loxoscelism and COVID-19), leading to the patient's death. This case illustrates the difficulties and risks in treating patients with venomous animal accidents during the pandemic, and the importance of a multi-professional team in treating such cases.
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•Describes a local and systemic reaction to a Brown spider bite on the lower lip.•The combined systemic effect of Brown spider venom and SARS-CoV-2 infection.•Special attention in treating patients after Brown spider bites.•Loxoscelism -a condition that increases and exacerbates inflammatory response.