Study finds fear of white-tailed spiders baseless

By BRIDGET CARTER

One of the country's most feared pests, the white-tailed spider, is not as dangerous as people think, research shows.

The spiders originate from Australia and have been accused of causing the flesh-eating disease necrotising arachnidism and blamed for a long list of hospital admissions.

But a recent New Zealand study indicates that hospital admissions linked to white-tailed spider bites were more likely caused by other conditions.

"The public's fear of bites from white-tailed spiders is likely misplaced," the report said. "We believe that much of the fear that surrounds these spiders is unwarranted."

The research, entitled "White-tailed spider bites - arachnophobic fallout?", was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. It was carried out by scientists Jonathan Banks, Phil Sirvid and Cor Vink.

Its aim was to find out if the public's concern about the spiders was justified.

The study looked at 10 patients admitted to Christchurch Hospital between January 2001 and January 2003.

They were suspected of having venomous spider bites, probably from white-tailed spiders.

But the study found no robust evidence that a spider bite caused their illnesses.

Four of the nine patients had asthma, another patient had allergies to eggs and the influenza vaccine and two others had multiple medical problems.

Eight of the patients were treated with antibiotics.

The medical records of the tenth patient were not available.

Dr Sirvid, a Te Papa arachnologist, said the results were supported by an Australian study which found that of 130 people bitten by the white-tailed spider, none became seriously ill.

"It is a painful bite, but not a lot worse than that," he said.

Records showed that the spider had been in New Zealand since the 19th century, yet the first reported cases of spider bites here were in the 1980s, Dr Sirvid said.

"If it was really dangerous, I thought we would have cottoned on to this more quickly."

Considerable media attention had been given to spider bites, the report said, which had caused the anxiety about the spiders.

Some reports from Australia had suggested that white-tailed spider bites had left victims with headaches, liver problems, stomach complaints and immune system disorders.

Some even suggested that patients risked amputation following the development of gangrene.

Last year, the death of Charlotte Appleton, 20, in Palmerston North was thought to have been caused by a white-tailed spider bite.

But an inquest later found that her death was not linked to such a spider.

The spider

* White-tailed spiders have rectangular bodies and a white-grey spot on their tail end.

* These spots are larger in the female and others can have several small white dots.

* White-tailed spiders are common in the North Island and in the northern half of the South Island.

* They hunt other spiders and for this reason if you have cobwebs in and around your home, you are more likely to encounter a white-tailed spider.