Brown Recluse Spider Bite Almost Blinds Texas Christian University Student

Resurgence of Arachnophobia is Likely

By Heather Campobello

 Nikki Perez, a student at Texas Christian University, was nearly blinded by a bite from a brown recluse spider. The brown recluse is one of the most dangerous spiders in North America.

This specific arthropod’s population continues to spread with the warming of the planet and may lead to a rise in attacks: “a changing climate could make parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Nebraska and South Dakota suitable for it. It’s not the amount of space that’s changing, but the area it covers.”

Despite the alarm, only one or two pople die every year from BR bites.

Perez has suffered greatly after the spider sunk its fangs into her at the Amarillo airport. Her head swelled to twice its size, she lost part of her ear from necrosis, she was in the hospital for five days, and she had to receive skin grafts.

Nikki before and after the attack:

The following picture shows the horrific damage that the bite did to her ear:

The brown recluse has a violin shaped marking that makes it easy to identify. Lucky for Nikki her mom is a nurse and was aware of the severity of the bite.

The recent attack has spurred rumors that Portland is infested with brown recluses.

After seeing these photos I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a resurgence of Arachnophobia.