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Steppe black widow. The main features of the karakurt insect and its danger to humans. What to do after a bite

Many consider the snake to be the most insidious and dangerous creature in the world. However, he lives on our planet little spider, whose bite is 15 times more poisonous than a bite snakes. This is a karakurt, which is considered one of the most poisonous spiders on earth, and therefore it is worth getting to know it better.

What is a karakurt spider?

The name of the spider is translated as “kara” (black) and “kurt” (worm). In Kalmyk language karakurt sounds like "black widow". This name fully justifies itself. The thing is that after mating, spiders devour their partners, and this happens with each subsequent gentleman.

Females differ from males very much. The average size of a spider is 10-20 mm, and the male is usually quite small, only 4-7 mm. They are black in color with thirteen red dots on the upper side of the abdomen. It is these spots that are their distinguishing feature. Interestingly, upon reaching sexual maturity, these spots may disappear.

Karakurt spiders have very powerful " chemical weapons" - poison. They need it to hunt various insects. In addition, with its help they destroy steppe animals, for example, gophers, in whose burrows they then begin to weave their webs. If they are not disturbed, they will not attack, but in case of danger they begin to attack instantly.

Habitat

Very often this spider can be found in the following places:

There are known cases of their discovery in the south of the Urals, in territories bordering Kazakhstan. Spiders began to be found in Azerbaijan, as well as in the Rostov region. If the weather is very hot, karakurts can move to the northern regions, for example, in the Moscow region. They can be found on more high latitudes, but they live there only until winter comes. Ideal conditions for their accommodation hot summer and warm autumn.

Karakurts live mainly in the steppes, in ditches, salt marshes, on the slopes of ravines, and in abandoned villages. They weave webs in cracks in the ground, in potholes, and rodent burrows, where they then attach web cocoons with clutches of eggs in July-August. After a week, the spiderlings hatch from the eggs, however, only next spring do they begin to crawl out of the cocoon. The air temperature at this time reaches 30 degrees. In autumn, all adult representatives of karakurts die.

These spiders feed on hedgehogs, wasps, and ichneumon beetles. Flocks of sheep often trample down their nests.

Reproduction

Karakurt spiders are highly fertile and every 10-12 years Their rapid proliferation is observed. To lay eggs, the female weaves a web in soil cracks, rodent burrows, and in the drains of ventilation systems. The spiderlings spend the winter in a cocoon and crawl out of it in April. In June, spiders become sexually mature. As soon as hot weather arrives, karakurts begin to look for protected places for mating. Then the females begin to look for places to lay eggs.

Why is a karakurt bite dangerous?

Considered the most poisonous sexually mature females, and males are not able to bite through human skin. July-August marks the peak of spider activity, when females begin migrating. Their poison is 15 times stronger than the poison itself poisonous snake. They move very quickly and can attack unnoticed.

Females never attack first. This only happens if she is accidentally pressed down, and she may bite in defense. This mainly happens at night while relaxing in nature, less often during the day.

At the site of the spider bite, a small red spot, but it disappears very quickly. The bite itself is not very painful, however, when the poison begins to act, severe pain occurs in this place. A person experiences strong mental agitation, panic and fear of death, spasms and suffocation. Victims with a heart condition may not be able to withstand this condition.

After 10-15 minutes, very severe pain occurs in the abdomen, chest and lower back, and the legs begin to numb. Vomiting, headache and dizziness appear. The face becomes bluish, the pulse begins to slow down and arrhythmia occurs, and protein appears in the urine. After this the patient lethargy occurs, however, severe pain causes him great discomfort. After 5 days, rashes appear on the skin, and the condition improves slightly. Final recovery occurs after 3 weeks, and the patient remains weak for a month.

Treatment

If help is not provided in a timely manner, the victim may die.

Fortunately, deaths from karakurt spider bites are quite rare.

Prevention

The karakurt spider can live in forest clearings, parks, squares, summer cottages. That is why, when going for a walk, you need to observe the following safety precautions:

  • If you know that such spiders live in the area, it is better not to spend the night under open air.
  • Contact of sleeping areas with the inner walls of tents should be avoided.
  • If there is a need to stop for a rest or overnight, you should carefully scan the area.
  • If you find holes or depressions under stones where spiders can live, they should be covered with earth.
  • Clothes should have long sleeves, and the head should be covered with a scarf or other headdress.
  • If you have to spend the night in a tent, you need to carefully inspect it before going to bed. sleeping place, as well as a backpack, clothes and shoes, where karakurt spiders can penetrate.
  • It is better to use a canopy, tucking it under the bed.
  • You can make small grooves around the tent.
  • You should always wear shoes that protect your feet from venomous bites.
  • If you suddenly find a karakurt spider on your clothes, you should not press it or pick it up. It is best to knock it down with a snap or simply shake it off to the ground.

Conclusion

The bites of karakurt spiders are very Every living creature suffers greatly, and horses and camels almost always die. When these spiders begin their intensive reproduction, livestock farming suffers great losses due to mass mortality of livestock. That is why, to destroy karakurt spiders, the soil is sprayed with hexachlorane and other poisons.

Should take precautions, when you need to go out into nature in places where karakurt spiders are very common. In case of a bite, you should immediately provide first aid and urgently contact a medical facility.

General. Karakurts live in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and throughout the CIS, in particular there are many of them in Crimea. There is a similar species in Europe called the Black Widow. Distinctive feature karakurt - red spots on a black back, females have no spots. The spider lives in ravines, river banks, abandoned mouse holes, garbage dumps. Karakurt is never the first to attack a person; it bites only in defense. The spider is especially dangerous from May to July, during the migration of females. Karakurt males do not pose a danger, because cannot bite through human skin.

Step 2

Bite site.

I. Karakurt poison is a mixture of protein neurotoxins that affects nervous system. The venom itself is 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake. During a karakurt bite, you may not feel anything, but after a few minutes a burning pain appears, spreading throughout the body. Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting, and a feeling of heaviness appear. chest. Next, the legs go numb, the abdominal muscles tense, and psychomotor agitation appears, causing anxiety and fear of dying. Then the excitement disappears and the person becomes lethargic. If you do not provide medical assistance to the bitten person, death is possible within 1 to 2 days. Death occurs from respiratory arrest. Weakness remains in the bitten person for a month.

Step 3

Cauterization.

Treatment. When bitten by a karakurt, a person needs to be injected with anti-karakurt serum. It is injected subcutaneously into the interscapular area; in critical cases, it is administered intravenously using a dropper. The bad news is that such a serum is not available in all hospitals; in my city, for example, it is not available anywhere. Before arriving at the hospital, you can inject 10 cubes of calcium gluconate (10% calcium chloride) intravenously. If you notice a spider bite right away, then you need to cauterize the wound with 2-3 heads of matches; the venom of spiders, unlike the venom of snakes, is destroyed when heated. Place two matches close to the wound and set them on fire with a third match; this must be done no later than 2 minutes after the bite. This is of course painful, but it is effective - the poison is destroyed and does not have time to be absorbed into the blood. In any case, going to the hospital is inevitable. By the way, applying tourniquets and making incisions above the wound will not help in any way with a karakurt bite.

Step 4

An anti-mosquito canopy will save the tent from karakurts.

Prevention. Karakurt presents mortal danger also for livestock, so their habitats and breeding areas must be sprayed with hexachlorane. If you have to spend the night open area– use a well-stretched canopy tucked under the bed. In karakurt habitats, wear thick clothes with long sleeves, and trousers should be tucked into your shoes. Do not walk barefoot in vegetable gardens, gardens and dachas, do not throw clothes and shoes on the ground - spiders can get into it. Wear thick gloves when clearing grass and removing debris.

Step 5

Fearless Galley

Interesting. One of the enemies of the karakurt is the Kambaz-pompil road wasp. When the galleys appear, the villagers are very happy about their saviors. The wasp works cunningly - it flies up to the karakurt's hole and begins to fiddle with the web with its paw. A hungry spider, anticipating lunch, happily crawls out. Then the cabbage takes off, rests its feet on the web and with its stinger strikes the spider directly in the mouth, causing paralysis of the karakurt. After this, the wasp digs a hole and buries the still living spider, in whose body the galley larva will develop.

The karakurt spider is one of the most dangerous creatures on earth. Despite its small size and non-threatening appearance, the karakurt venom is 15 times stronger than the venom of a rattlesnake and 50 times stronger than the venom of a tarantula. For a horse or camel, a karakurt bite is often fatal.

The karakurt spider is one of the most dangerous creatures on earth

Without prompt medical intervention and professional help, a meeting with a person can also result in death, although such cases are extremely rare. The black spider evokes mystical associations due to the presence of 13 spots bright red on the body and cannibalistic family traditions. Kalmyk shamans use dangerous creature in some rituals. There is a common belief that karakurts live only in deserts and do not pose a danger to residents of the central and even southern steppe and forest regions, but this is not so. IN lately The migration of biting “robbers” to the north is obvious, and climate warming has led to the fact that karakurts are recorded in regions where they have never been observed before.

The poisonous karakurt spider belongs to the order of spiders of the family of web spiders from the genus of black widows. Translated from the Turkic language, the name is literally translated as a black worm. The Latin name Latrodectus tredecimguttatus reflects external signs- 13 points on the back and the essence of the spider (biting robber). Like the karakurt, which is sometimes called the steppe spider? In terms of size, the spider belongs to the medium arachnids. The size of the male is 4-7 mm, the female karakurt is 2-3 times larger and can reach 20 mm. The body of the eight-legged spider is black, with a pronounced abdomen. Both males and females have red spots or dots on the upper side of the abdomen. On the lower part of the abdomen a clear scarlet pattern is visible, similar to the outline of an hourglass. The spot on the abdomen often has a snow-white halo. Adults (males) can be completely black. Karakurt is a predator; it feeds on insects, which it uses a web to catch.

Despite its small size and non-threatening appearance, the karakurt's venom is 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake and 50 times stronger than that of a tarantula.

White karakurt, also related to web spiders, has a white or yellowish color. There is no hourglass pattern or spots on the body, but there are 4 indentations forming a rectangle. White spiders are much less poisonous, their bite is not dangerous to people, although the venom of the white karakurt is similar in its toxicological properties and effects on the human body and animals to the venom of the black widow. White karakurts can be found in Russia and neighboring countries, but the main habitat is located to the south - in the territory North Africa, the Middle East, as well as in Central Asia. Let's focus on the black widow karakurt as the most dangerous representative spymasters, whom you can meet at domestic resorts.

Karakurts are distinguished by their fertility, in southern regions There are periodic surges in the birth rate, which entail an increase in the number of casualties among people and the loss of livestock. Poisonous spiders in Kazakhstan and Crimea attack dozens of people every year, but serious consequences occur extremely rarely. The female lays more than 1,000 eggs per year, which are placed in a protective cocoon. The newly born spiders continue to live inside the cocoon and emerge from there only next spring. Puberty occurs 2-3 months after the spiderlings leave their original home. Eggs are laid in holes on the ground or in rodent burrows. Fertilization occurs during the hottest months of summer. After mating, the female karakurt eats the male, although there are exceptions - for unknown reasons, the female can either destroy the male before mating or leave him alive after fertilization.

Gallery: karakurt spider (25 photos)










Black widow spider or karakurt (video)

Habitat and biological enemies

The zone of residence of the Karakurts covers the Crimea, southern Russia and Ukraine, the Astrakhan steppes, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. When migrating north, spiders reach the Saratov region, Southern Urals and even the Moscow region, but they cannot settle in the northern regions, in winter period spiders die. For living, karakurts choose dry steppe areas and arable lands, wastelands, salt marshes, slopes of ravines, ditches, ruins of abandoned villages, cracks in adobe houses. The spider can also be found in populated areas, in summer cottages, sometimes it penetrates into a person’s home. The peak of activity occurs during the fertilization period - June-August.

The natural enemies of karakurts are:

  • sheep and goats, which are not affected by the karakurt bite;
  • sphex wasps that inject their venom into spiders, which paralyzes them;
  • insect riders that lay their eggs in karakurt cocoons;
  • hedgehogs that are not vulnerable to spider attacks.

Flocks of sheep or herds of goats are used to trample the nests of karakurts, Crimean peninsula thus cleared of poisonous creatures during periods of sharply increased reproduction or when clearing pastures for horses, cows and other livestock. During outbreaks of spider births, they can cause significant harm to livestock, so preventive measures are necessary.

Danger to humans

As a rule, males and young individuals do not pose a danger to humans, since they cannot bite through the skin with their weak jaws, although isolated cases of attacks are known. Adult females pose a danger, especially in July-August. You can distinguish the female by its color. Males have red spots with white rims, while females have no edging. Sometimes in females the red spots change to yellow stripes. Females have long legs up to 30 mm and significantly larger than males.

The attack happens very quickly. Karakurt attacks only in self-defense. Nature has endowed the spider with this strong poison, so that he can capture the burrows of small rodents, which do not come into conflict with him and immediately vacate their territory. A predator can attack when it first seems to be in danger, so it is better to avoid contact with it. The difficulty in detecting danger lies in the fact that karakurts do not weave their net in the classical way. The threads are arranged horizontally, the web does not have a characteristic pattern and is chaotic. Attacks occur most often at night and on vacation, when you can accidentally crush the karakurt or disturb the web.

A spider bite is not painless, but it does not cause much concern. The bite site is marked with a small red spot, which disappears after a few minutes. After the poison has taken effect, the bitten person begins to experience severe pain in the damaged area. Specific psychological and physiological reactions arise.

In the first minutes and hours after the bite, poisoning is characterized by the following symptoms:

  • strong mental agitation;
  • feeling of fear of death, panic;
  • spasms and suffocation;
  • severe pain in the abdomen, chest and lower back;
  • feeling that the legs are being taken away;
  • bluish complexion;
  • shallow breathing, dizziness;
  • sometimes cramps of the arms and legs, tremors, vomiting;
  • increased heart rate, arrhythmia;
  • delay of urination and defecation;
  • increased protein content in urine.

After the body’s initial reaction, a person experiences lethargy, apathy, weakness, depression, and sometimes delirium, but severe pain persists. After a few days, a red rash appears on the body. Death is possible in especially dangerous cases with general weakness of the body and lack of qualified medical care, especially if the victim has diseases of the cardiovascular system. If the course is favorable, recovery occurs within 3-4 weeks.

Beware of karakurt (video)

Treatment and prevention

The most elementary and known since ancient times method of treating a bite poisonous spider, supported and official medicine, is cauterization. The predator's venom is sensitive to heat and when heated is destroyed, losing its toxic properties. Therefore, immediately, within 2 minutes after the attack, the damaged area must be burned with a cigarette, match or other method. The spider does not have powerful jaws, the bite depth does not exceed 0.5 mm, so immediate cauterization has a strong effect. In any case, you should contact a medical facility as soon as possible.

As special measures, anti-caracourt serum is used, which is administered intramuscularly. The serum relieves the main symptoms of poisoning, and recovery time is reduced to 3-4 days.

The disadvantage of this product is its high cost. In the absence of a special substance, the following is administered intravenously:

  • novocaine;
  • calcium chloride;
  • magnesium hydrogen sulfate.
  • 33% ethyl alcohol;
  • 2-3% solution of potassium permanganate.

The victim must be given water, rubbed with alcohol, and enemas are recommended. Universal remedies can be used as painkillers: Analgin, Diphenhydramine, Ketanol.

In cases of living in the territory inhabited by karakurts, it is necessary to be careful when cleaning residential premises, especially in adobe houses, and pay attention to the presence of cobwebs in household areas. When going outdoors, you should follow certain rules:

  • do not spend the night in the open air in habitats of poisonous spiders;
  • do not come into contact with the inside of the tents;
  • inspect the place where you spend the night or rest, paying attention to holes and natural depressions in the ground, rodent burrows, and if there are any, cover them with earth;
  • use covering clothing and wear a hat;
  • periodically, and mandatory before going to bed, carefully examine the tent, sleeping places, clothes, shoes and other property;
  • use the canopy, tucking it under the sleeping place;
  • dig around the tent, making a shallow ditch;
  • do not take off your shoes;
  • If you find a karakurt, do not touch it; if the spider ends up on your clothes, shake it off or knock it down with a click.

To prevent the death of domestic animals, the soil is treated with hexachlorane and other poisons.

Attention, TODAY only!

Karakurt - compound name: "kara" - black, "kurt" - worm (from Turkic), scientific name - Latrodectus tredecimguttatus. The spider received another name “black widow” for its dark body color and instant eating of its partner after mating.

A special feature of this spider is the red-orange markings on the abdomen, sometimes bordered by a white outline.

Quite aesthetic in the photo, without fluff, which is typical for spider varieties, it does not necessarily cause a feeling of disgust or is capable of reminding of danger. As the animal ages, the spots may disappear, as for Eurasian females, unlike Australian and American ones, which are always spotted, so black spiders should be avoided in their regions.

More detailed description spider: spherical abdomen, cephalothorax, four pairs of legs, two pairs of jaws. The upper jaws of the female end with hooks, on the other side of which there are poisonous glands. Sometimes a mature female has yellow stripes instead of red-orange dots. Body length is 1−2 cm, legs up to 3 cm.

One of the differences of the species is sexual dimorphism: the length of the female is related to the length of the male as 20:7 mm. It is not red hemoglobin (iron) that is responsible for hematopoiesis, but blue hemocyanin (copper), which is why black spiders have blue blood.

There is another type of karakurt - white. With the same physique as the black one, it does not have colorful colors, as you can see in the photo, but its bite is not so poisonous and is more often dangerous for children and the elderly.

Habitats

The spider prefers warm steppe, semi-steppe, forest-steppe zones Southern Europe, Central Asia (Iran, Afghanistan), North Africa, southern Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, found in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Common habitat areas in Russia are Crimea, Altai, Krasnodar region, Novosibirsk, Astrakhan, Rostov regions.

In hot years, karakurts were spotted at the latitude of the Moscow region in the process of migration. But usually Black Widow not survive the harsh climatic conditions, and such cases are rare. For habitat, the karakurt spider chooses the steppe, arable land, areas near ravines, wastelands, and salt marshes.

He avoids open areas, thick grass, wet ravines, and hot deserts. Uneven rocky surfaces, similar to the habitat of ferrets and lemmings, are acceptable for it. Sometimes karakurt is found on abandoned construction sites, but a modern courtyard is no exception. Karakurt spiders die with the onset of frost in the fall.

Nutrition

This spider feeds on insects caught in its webs. The victims are arthropods that live close to the black widow: grasshoppers, beetles, flies, horseflies, locusts, cicadas and other invertebrates.

These insects are often caught in horizontal nets. The weaving of a web does not look like a round pattern of trapezoids, but more looks like a random chaotic pattern. The spider paralyzes the victim with poison, after which it extracts liquid components from it.

Reproduction

In July–August, spiders mate. The male attracts the female with fragrant pheromones. Immediately after mating games the spider eats its spouse and goes to lay eggs in cozy corners, which include mouse holes and cracks earth's crust, walls of adobe houses, ventilation drainage systems. There the female places her cocoons. Usually the number of eggs reaches 130 pieces. With the arrival of autumn, the female dies.

Eggs hidden in a cocoon reliably stored all winter, and in April they are released with the help of the wind, spreading across flat terrain, expanding the habitat horizons of the species.

The cubs appear quickly, after ten days, but do not leave the shelter until they eat the supplies left by the mother. They then proceed to eat each other. Only strong surviving individuals remain, which emerge from the cocoon the following spring and become sexually mature in June–July.

Periodically, strong outbreaks of reproduction of the karakurt spider occur at intervals of 10−25 years.

Enemies of the Karakurts

Herds of grazing sheep and pigs are an unfavorable phenomenon for spiders: feeding on grass, they trample large areas simultaneously destroying the karakurts.

Sphex wasps eat spiders in a similar way to themselves: by injecting poison and sucking them out.

The ichneumon beetles lay eggs in the cocoons of the karakurt, and then their larvae destroy the spider offspring.

Karakurt bites do not harm hedgehogs, and hedgehogs do not refuse to feast on them.

Bites

Karakurt bites are fatal, and 15 times more poisonous than a rattlesnake bite, the poison of which is enough to kill 75 people out of 100 bitten. But the spiders themselves do not attack. It is advisable to see the spider in the photo to remember what it looks like.

In the first minutes, the bite is not felt and the affected area looks like a small abrasion. Over time, this symptom begins to disappear. Pain appears after 2-3 hours, A sometimes 30 minutes are enough for a person to feel aches, heaviness, and malaise.

Bite symptoms:

  • body aches, mostly in the muscles of the chest, abdomen, and lower back;
  • difficulty breathing, which can result in cardiac arrest;
  • rapid pulse, shortness of breath, dizziness, tremor;
  • weakness and vomiting;
  • nervous exhaustion, depression;
  • clouding of consciousness, impaired perception;
  • pale face;
  • lacrimation;
  • sweating;
  • heaviness in the chest area.

Timely treatment ensures improvement in the condition within twenty days. Asthenia and weakness sometimes persist for up to two months.

Karakurt bites are extremely dangerous during the breeding season and after laying eggs, when the concentration of their poison increases. They pose a greater threat to people with low immunity and painful allergic reactions.

Karakurt males are not able to bite through the skin of humans and some animals, and therefore are not dangerous.

Actions after a bite:

  • since the spider is only capable of biting through the skin half a millimeter, it turns out to be effective immediate cauterization of the skin(in the first 2 minutes, but no later than 10) so that the poison cannot spread throughout the body;
  • sometimes the solution becomes applying ice to the affected area of ​​the body before providing assistance to contain the rate of spread of the poison, as well as immobilization and complete rest for the victim;
  • urgently go to the hospital to take an antidote, which is available in the habitat regions black widow.

A single dose of serum costs about 37 thousand rubles. In case there is no antidote, an injection of potassium permanganate (5 ml 0.1%) with the same compress at the site of the bite or magnesium sulfate 10-15% is acceptable, which will alleviate the suffering of the patient. Novocaine, calcium chloride, and magnesium hydrogen sulfate give good results.

Supportive measures after taking the antidote are:

  • hot bath to relieve muscle pain;
  • drink plenty of fluids to dissolve toxins;
  • rubbing with alcohol;
  • enemas;
  • painkillers and sleeping pills to help the victim recover (Analgin, Diphenhydramine, Ketanol);
  • antihistamines that reduce swelling (Suprastin, Agistam, Loratadine, Claritin).

Without medical intervention, death is possible within a day or two. The number of deaths after a karakurt bite is 4−6%, which occurs due to late admission to the hospital, a person’s predisposition to intoxication, including diseases and weak immunity.




Animal bites

Horses and camels are the most sensitive to a karakurt bite; the consequences for them can be fatal.

Reptiles, amphibians, dogs, sheep, pigs, hedgehogs are not susceptible to the bite of karakurt.

Circumstances of the bite

Most often, a spider attack occurs when the nests or trapping nets of an animal are violated, when the human body is pressed against the spider. This is possible while picking flowers, mowing grass, resting on the ground, or spending the night in nature.

There have been cases of spiders entering barns, woodpiles, rural buildings and latrines. If a karakurt's home is flooded during heavy rains, it is possible that it will enter the house in search of a new home.

Bite protection

Rules for preventing contact with a spider:

  • for parking while resting, choose an area unsuitable for karakurt habitat (excluding many rodent holes, vegetation with cobwebs, depressions in the soil);
  • do not walk barefoot in areas where black widows may live;
  • don't spend the night in steppe zone on bare ground, use tarpaulins and air mattresses;
  • when clearing a place to rest or collecting firewood for a fire, you must wear gloves and tuck your pants into your boots;
  • If you find a spider on your clothes, do not touch it with your hands, but knock it down with a snap and shake it off;
  • It is not recommended to move stones and walk on rocky terrain at night;
  • it is better to close the tents, and when going on night rest, shake out sleeping bags and check tents, which also applies to shoes;
  • do not come into contact with the inner wall of the tent;
  • dig around the tent, building a ditch around it;
  • wild grasses in a dacha area can be inhabited by karakurts and tarantulas; shoes left in the garden will also be a good idea.

Returning to the description of the barbaric custom of karkurt spiders to kill males who have served their purpose, I would like to mention the observation of researcher Professor Pavel Iustinovich Marikovsky, who kept notes in a diary from nature and recorded the behavior of spiders in photographs. Intrusive courtship from several males at once lasts for more than one day. They prevent the female from eating, start fights, and if she kills them ahead of time, this does not bother the males at all. As a result, the female is forced to leave the home along with the suitors waiting for her, but such measures are temporary.

The Department of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance today, August 11, responded to information from the World Bank that an unprecedented recent years the number of victims of karakurt spider bites and the first fatal case.

Thus, as the head of the toxicology department of the 4th city hospital, Ulan Ismanov, reported to the editor, as of June 1 of this year alone, 25 Kyrgyzstanis had already suffered from bites of a poisonous arthropod. And doctors predict that this figure will double by the fall - it’s having an effect high temperature air and debris. At the same time, for the entire last year there were only 35 such cases. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Kyrgyzstan does not purchase anti-karakurt serum.

As the sanitary and epidemiological inspection reminded us today, karakurt is a special type of spider. They belong to the family of "black widows". Distinctive feature females is the presence of thirteen red spots on the upper surface of the abdomen. This species has a poison-producing apparatus, which is why the bite of these spiders poses a mortal danger to humans.

The toxicity of karakurt venom is influenced by many factors: seasonal, age, gender, etc. The venom of sexually mature females is particularly toxic. Karakurts begin to bite in May - early June. However, bites are also possible in warm weather. winter time when their biological clock is disrupted. The peak of spider activity is observed in July-August. At the same time, the toxicity of the poison increases significantly.

The body's reaction to a karakurt bite

A karakurt bite is not painful; it can be compared to a pin prick. Some people who are bitten do not even feel it, but after just 10-15 minutes a burning pain appears at the site of the bite. Quickly spreading throughout the body, it is felt in the joints of the legs, arms and shoulder blades. Very severe pain can occur in the victim and in any lymph nodes. If you do not provide help for a karakurt bite, the pain will persist for several days.

A karakurt bite leads to fatal outcome quite rare, although similar cases are recorded from time to time. Karakurt poison is classified as toxic albumin. Clinical picture the bite resembles anaphylactic shock.

Most effective means treatment is antitoxic antikarakurt serum. After its administration (5-10 cc intramuscularly), the patient’s suffering subsides, and after 3-4 days he recovers. The main thing is to consult a doctor in time. Moreover, be sure to report the bite and demand immediate help.

In healthcare organizations, in case of karakurt bites, the first medical care(hormone therapy) and is sent to the toxicology department of the BNITsIO for further treatment. This:

  1. compulsory inpatient treatment;
  2. pain therapy;
  3. magnesium therapy;
  4. symptomatic therapy, if necessary, antibiotics are prescribed;
  5. detoxification therapy.

After the poison has entered the body, a person will develop local and general signs poisoning

Signs of local reaction:

  1. mild swelling;
  2. slight redness;
  3. decreased sensitivity at the site of the bite;
  4. severe weakness;
  5. painful sensations in the legs just a few minutes after the bite.

General signs:

  1. feeling of fear;
  2. hallucinations;
  3. severe weakness;
  4. psychomotor agitation (moans, screams, unconscious throwing in different directions);
  5. muscle cramps or spasms. In severe cases, symptoms are supplemented by shortness of breath, irregular breathing rhythm, hyper- and then hypotension, and kidney damage.

Victims can recover within 7-10 days; on days 3-4 the temperature may rise to 38.5-39°C and a rash may appear. The subsequent development of symptoms depends on the degree of toxicity of the poison and on whether first aid was provided for a karakurt bite.

Help with a karakurt bite

To treat poisoning, a special hyperimmune serum from a karakurt bite is used. It can only be used in a medical facility. But what if you have a long way to go to the hospital? If you are bitten by a karakurt, you must immediately provide first aid. This will significantly increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

1. First of all, you need to suck out the poison from the wound of the victim. This is best done using improvised means that create a vacuum. But if they are not there, you can suck out the poison with your mouth. The poisonous secretions of the spider can get into circulatory system, so you can help someone who has been bitten in this way, but only if you don’t have:

Stomatitis;

Various wounds;

Periodontitis;

Caries;

Diseases of the oral cavity;

Gingivitis and other damage to the mucous membrane.

After completing this procedure, you should rinse your mouth very thoroughly with plain water. Suction is effective in the first 10 minutes. After this time, doing this is absolutely useless.

2. During rendering emergency care For karakurt bites, a cold compress can be applied to the area where a local reaction appears. Any painkillers will help reduce pain.

3. Was your leg or arm bitten? It should be immobilized quickly and as much as possible so that the poison does not spread in the body. It is also necessary to minimize the movement of the victim.

4. For faster removal of the toxic substance, it is recommended to provide the bitten person with something to drink (preferably hot). But he needs to be given drinks in small doses. If a person has chills, severe muscle tension and a feeling of cold, warming the extremities is allowed.

What not to do if you are bitten by a karakurt

Before the victim is given first aid for a karakurt bite or serum is administered, it is strictly forbidden to:

1. Make a variety of cuts - neither in the wound area nor on other parts of the body. They will not help remove the poison or alleviate the condition of the bitten person. At the same time, the incisions are quite dangerous, since they additionally injure the person.

2. When bitten by a karakurt, it is forbidden to apply a tourniquet. This cannot be done either above or below the area where the local reaction appeared.