Vetter Richard S, Isbister Geoffrey K
Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Annu Rev Entomol. 2008;53:409-29. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ento.53.103106.093503.
Spiders have been incriminated as causes of human suffering for centuries, but few species worldwide cause medically significant envenomation. Widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.) occur worldwide and cause latrodectism, which is characterized by pain (local and generalized) associated with nonspecific systemic effects, diaphoresis, and less commonly other autonomic and neurological effects. Recluse spiders (Loxosceles spp.) are distributed mostly through the tropical and subtropical Western Hemisphere and can cause severe skin lesions and rarely systemic effects; most bites are unremarkable. Highly dangerous spiders in South America (armed spiders) and Australia (funnel-web spiders) cause rare but severe envenomation requiring medical intervention and sometimes antivenom. Most other spiders involved in verified bites cause minor, transient effects. Many spiders blamed for causing medical mischief have been elevated to medical significance via circumstantial evidence, poor reporting, and repetitive citation in the literature; several species have been shown to be harmless with more stringent scientific evidence involving verified bites in humans.
几个世纪以来，蜘蛛一直被认为是导致人类痛苦的原因，但全球范围内只有少数几种蜘蛛会造成具有医学意义的中毒。寡妇蜘蛛（红斑寇蛛属）遍布全球，会引发红斑寇蛛中毒症，其特征是疼痛（局部和全身性），伴有非特异性全身症状、出汗，较少见的还有其他自主神经和神经症状。隐居褐蛛（遁蛛属）主要分布在西半球的热带和亚热带地区，会导致严重的皮肤损伤，很少有全身症状；大多数咬伤并无明显症状。南美洲的剧毒蜘蛛（武装蜘蛛）和澳大利亚的（漏斗网蜘蛛）会导致罕见但严重的中毒，需要医疗干预，有时还需要使用抗蛇毒血清。其他大多数经证实咬人导致中毒的蜘蛛只会引起轻微的、短暂的症状。许多被指责造成医疗伤害的蜘蛛，是通过间接证据、报告不实以及文献中的反复引用而被提升到具有医学意义的地位；有更严格的涉及人类被证实咬伤的科学证据表明，有几种蜘蛛是无害的。
