One Of The Most Poisonous Spiders May Be In Western New York

Update: the woman has since deleted her picture, so we have omitted the image from the story.

This has got to be something worse than a tick bite…right??

A woman shared a photo on Facebook asking for advice after her sibling got bit in the chest by something unfamiliar. 

The bite initially looked like it could have been a tick bite, but upon further inspection, the woman is worried that it might be something else. 

“My sister got bit by something and went to urgent care and they gave her an antibiotic. Does this seem like a tick bite that may have carried Lyme or a brown recluse spider bite??? Has anyone encountered this in their gardens? She won’t get the Lyme results for a Week. It feels a little hard and burning.”

While Facebook and the following comments are not necessarily endorsed by a doctor, there were some people who work in the medical field who offered their advice based on what they saw in the picture.

And what’s really shocking – a lot of people actually think it might be a brown recluse spider bite. 

The picture has since been deleted from Facebook, but to show you what a brown recluse spider bite looks like, you can see one famous musician's photos below.

Meghan Linsey is a #1 Billboard Recording Artist and NBC's The Voice Runner Up for Season 8.

What Is A Brown Recluse Spider Bite? 

A brown recluse spider bite, according to the Mayo Clinic, may have the following symptoms:

• Increasing pain over the first eight hours after the bite
• Fever, chills and body aches
• A bite wound with a pale center that turns dark blue or purple with a red ring around it
• A bite wound that grows into an open sore (ulcer) with the skin around it dying

Are There Brown Recluse Spiders In New York?

If you Google this same question, you will be told no, but many people in Western New York are convinced that they have been bitten by such a spider. 

Cornell University says that it is “extremely unlikely [to be bitten here] because the brown recluse spider does not occur in New York, and black widow spiders are found primarily in dark, moist areas where people are unlikely to interact with them.”  

What To Do If Bitten

Definitely contact a doctor and get a professional medical opinion…especially if the area is sore and there is pain. Only a medical professional can give a proper diagnosis.