Lionel Evans wrote:
> Hi all.
> 
> Brown recluse spiders are the only spider that you cannot feel the bite. 
> Therefore you will not see them or feel it bite. Blood test will confirm 
> brown recluse bites.

Just a heads up, a recent article in the medical literature analyzed 
brown recluse numbers vs reported bites for my state, SC, and found far 
more bites than spiders, some of which were in fact 
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)infections. From the 
discussion:

"However, considering the recent emergence of MRSA as a skin and soft 
tissue pathogen, MRSA infections may represent a larger portion of 
suspected brown recluse bites in South Carolina than previously 
suspected. Physicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for MRSA 
in any patient with a skin or soft tissue infection, but especially if 
the patient presents with a complaint of spider bite. A common 
misconception is that brown recluse spiders can be found anywhere in 
North America because they could be inadvertently transported during 
commerce, but the arachnological evidence shows that Loxosceles spiders 
are rare outside endemic areas.[5]"

 From Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Reports of Envenomation by Brown Recluse Spiders Exceed Verified 
Specimens of Loxosceles Spiders in South Carolina, Posted 10/29/2007,
Ivar L. Frithsen, MD, MS; Richard S. Vetter, MS; Ian C. Stocks, MS

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/563630_1

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