Toxic Spider Bite Leaves Soldier Unable To Walk

A member of the British army has been bitten by a spider similar to the deadly black widow, leaving him with a gaping hole in his leg.

Army man Matt Clark, 31, reported that he woke up with a ‘tingly sensation’ and noticed the spider on his leg, but thought little of it.

Unfortunately, the situation turned out to be serious, as Matt’s wound caused by the spider bite left him unable to walk.

The wound area burst open a few days after the initial bite, causing Matt a great deal of pain and leaving him with ‘a hole he could see his muscles through’.

Matt, from Nottingham, noted the irony of the situation:

 "I've been in the Army for ten years, I've been all over the world and slept next to more dangerous spiders and never got bit. But I got bit in my own bed."

After the pain in his leg grew steadily worse, Matt went to A&E, where he was treated for the bite.

But the worst was yet to come.

Describing the incident, Matt added:

 "I just felt this dripping down my leg and it was a painful type of burning sensation.

"I then checked it out and the bite area had burst open - it was a hole I could see my muscles through. I couldn't understand why the bite wasn't healing so I tried to find answers."

"I researched spiders and my symptoms, and I realised I had been bitten by a 'false black widow'."

Matt’s self-diagnosis was confirmed by a doctor, and Matt was given an X-Ray by the hospital.

Medics told him his bite was "toxic" and needed constant monitoring.

Unlike its close relative, the infamous black widow, the false widow spider is not deadly and is usually harmless.

The Steatoda Nobilis is native to Madeira and the Canary islands and is believed to have arrived on British shores via a cargo transporter in the 19th Century.