Did A Spider Bite Kill Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman?

The world of heavy metal is mourning the loss of Jeff Hanneman, guitarist and founding member of thrasher band Slayer. While the official cause of death has been listed as liver failure, there is much speculation that it may have been due to complications caused by a spider bite in 2011.

Hanneman almost lost his arm due to a flesh-eating disease, necrotizing fasciitis, which he contracted after failing to seek immediate medical treatment after being bitten by a spider two years ago. Slayer spokeswoman Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald blamed Hanneman’s death on the spider bite.

Flesh-eating bacteria doesn’t cause liver failure by itself; however, strep bacteria can cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which can ultimately lead to liver failure. Hanneman, 49, was slowly recovering from complications from the spider bite when he suffered from liver failure.

Can Spider Bites Kill You?

While a spider bite can be extremely painful, it is very rare that people die from one. An average of 6.6 people in the U.S. die each year from venomous spider bites. More people die from bee and wasp stings.

Brown Recluse Spiders

Rumor has it that the brown recluse spider is one of the most deadly spiders on the planet. However, the fact of the matter is, death from brown recluse spiders have only been reported in children under the age of seven. While the brown recluse spider’s venom is more poisonous than a rattle snake, it only injects a small amount when biting a victim. However, the venom that is released causes destruction to cell membranes, causing damage to the skin. The venom also causes an immune response, which causes secondary effects. It is the secondary effects that actually cause serious side effects to the victim, not the venom itself.

Black Widow Spiders

Most people are raised with a deadly fear of black widow spiders ingrained in them. While a black widow bite can cause you to be ill, it rarely causes death. Like the brown recluse spider, the black widow’s venom has the worse effects on children and the elderly.

The black widows’ venom affects the victims nervous system. Some people are only slightly affected by the venom, while others have serious reactions. Abdominal pain, weakness, tremor, and respiratory difficulties are typical symptoms following a black widow bite.

If you suspect that you’ve been bitten by a spider, it is vital that you seek immediate medical treatment. While most spider bites aren’t life threatening, secondary effects can cause serious health problems. Jeff Hanneman is proof that a spider bite is not a matter to be taken lightly. No matter how brutal you may think you are, a spider bite can be even more brutal – so do yourself a favor and get yourself to a doctor the moment you suspect you’ve been bitten.

About the author: Chris is a blogger for a New Jersey pest control company.

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Guest Post Published by Bulwark

Pest Of The Week: The Brown Recluse Spider

English: Adult male brown recluse spider dorsal view. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Brown Recluse spider is also known as a Violin spider because of the violin markings found on it’s back. Because of its extremely venomous and deadly bite, the Brown Recluse is one of worst spider pests. These bites are extremely dangerous. There have been reports of lost appendages and even death because of these painful bites. Spider control efforts must be taken to keep these spiders out of your basements, attics, and garages.

While the Brown recluse is dangerous, it’s a rather shy spider that will only bite when it feels threatened. Bites occur when a hand is placed unknowingly on a spider while moving boxes for instance; or when a spider is inadvertently trapped against a person’s body while getting dressed or crawling in bed.

The Brown Recluse spider is tan in color. Adult spiders are about the size of a U.S. Quarter. The spider has a violin marking on its back, long legs, and is covered with short hairs. They are common in the lower Midwest and the Southeast U.S. They are nighttime hunters that do not use webs to catch insects.

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Anthony Ball

Spiders like the Black Widow spider and Brown Recluse spider have given all other spiders a bad reputation. These dangerous spiders strike fear in people, and justifiably so. All spiders are venomous to some degree, but that doesn’t mean they are dangerous. While all spiders are an eyesore, most spiders are harmless.

The problem with spiders is most of us don’t know which spiders are dangerous, and which ones are harmless… When we see a spider, we just run. How do we know which spiders bite? How do we know which spiders are dangerous?

The spider control professionals at Bulwark Pest Control have put together an informative infographic which helps us all identify the common spiders found in the United States, and whether or not they are dangerous.

Source:

http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com/community/guide-to-dangerous-spider-identification-in-the-us.htm

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Anthony Ball

Toilet Spider

Toilet Spiders Deemed Hoax 

Here we go again. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler have been inundated as of late with reports of poisonous spiders biting people, as they sit on the toilet of all places, resulting in your eventual death.

Here Is The Claim 

NEW POISONOUS SPIDER IN THE UNITED STATES

A spider bite…please read………… And you thought the brown recluse was bad!

Three women in North Florida, turned up at hospitals over a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills, and vomiting, followed by muscular collapse, paralysis, and finally, death. There were no outward signs of trauma.

Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know each other, and seemed to have nothing in common. It was discovered, however, that they had all visited the same Restaurant (Olive Garden) within days of their deaths. The health department descended on the restaurant, shutting it down. The food, water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.

The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check. She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom.

That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove out to the restaurant, went into the restroom, and lifted the toilet seat. Under the seat, out of normal view, was a small spider.

The spider was captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its reddened flesh color. This spider’s venom is extremely toxic, but can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country. So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for spiders. It can save your life!

And please pass this on to everyone you care about.

Source: Facebook

Just A Hoax 

Wikipedia and other credible online sources have debunked the claim of toilet spiders biting restaurant patrons; stating the stories are fictitious. Although some spiders do prefer cool dark places, the harsh chemicals used to clean the toilet would likely deter any spider from making a toilet it’s home. No such story of a Two-Stripped Telamonia biting rear ends has ever occurred. The story is considered an urban legend.

The Real Two-Striped Telamonia Spider 

The two-striped jumper (Telamonia dimidiate), is a jumping spider found in various Asian tropical rain forests. They are common in wooded environments in India, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bhutan. They do not live in North Florida Olive Garden restaurants.

The Two-Striped Telamonia Spider ranges in size from 8-11 millimeters. Females are a light yellow, with a white stripe down her middle. She also has a red ring around her legs. The male is very dark, with white markings, and red hairs around the eyes. The venom of this species is not medically significant.

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Anthony Ball

Raise your hand if you’ve seen the movie “Arachnophobia”.

Well, I have. Once.

My first time watching it was immediately my last.

It’s one of those movies that messes with your mind for the next several days. Your skin itches a little bit more throughout the day. You check your towel before drying off after a shower. Maybe you shake out your clothes before getting dressed because you never know. You never when at what point you’re going to run across one of those little buggers.

It’s just you. You’re minding your business. Your sitting down for lunch at your kitchen table to enjoy a ham sandwich with some ranch flavor Doritos and a Dr. Pepper. Unfortunately for you you didn’t see that little rascal hitching a ride on the underside of your whole grain bread. You’re just minding your business, no big deal, thinking about…”AHHH!!!”

“What the $#%& was that?!?”

You certainly don’t remember putting a needle on your sandwich. Just then you see that little eight-legged rascal making a break for the edge of the table. As soon as you get done putting two and two together you start to feel a little tingling in that same hand.

…You can make up the rest of the story on your own.

But you know what really sucked about watching arachnophobia? Seeing how entire armies of spiders would descend on the residents of a house or even a town. But that’s all Hollywood stuff right? ….Right??

Try telling that to the Indian town of Sadiya, located in the Assam state.

According to news reports Sadiya has been overrun by myriads of venomous spiders, leaving two people dead (Yes, dead!), and numerous others with severe flu-like symptoms forcing them to seek professional medical attention.

Locals report that the spiders have arrived in droves and that their behavior is extremely aggressive. On top of that, experts are saying that this particular spider is not even native to the area. They have tried to identify it as various species, including a tarantuala, a black wishbone spider and a funnel-web spider. The wishbone and funnel-web spiders are native to Australia, so somebody has some explaining to do.

Whatever the species, the town of Sadiya has a real spider problem on their hands.

Or, maybe the town of Sadiya actually has a witch doctor problem on their hands, considering many of the victims first went to witch doctors to have their wounds sliced open with razors and their blood drawn out and burnt.

“That could have also made them sick”, said the superintendent of the local hospital.

Bulwark recommends NOT seeking medical attention from this individual, or those from his "profession", to treat spider bites

You be the judge!