Reversible Myocarditis Following Black Widow Spider ( Latrodectus spp .) Bite in Egypt: A case report

• Published in: Sultan Qaboos University medical journal 2023-05, Vol.23 (2), p.251-255
• Main Authors: Emara, Ahmed G, Aboshady, AbdelRhman A, Aboshady, Omar A, Shawqi, Mohamed M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Black Widow Spider; Case Report; Egypt; Humans; Male; Myocarditis; Spider Bites - complications; Spider Bites - diagnosis; Spider Bites - therapy; Spider Venoms
• ISSN: 2075-0528; 2075-051X; 2075-0528
• DOI: 10.18295/squmj.2.2022.017

Black widow spiders (BWSs) are poisonous spiders of the phylum that live in the Mediterranean region. The effects of BWS bites ranges from local damage to systemic manifestations including paresthesia, stiffness, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, anxiety, hypertension and tachycardia. However, cardiac involvement following a BWS bite is uncommon. We report a 35-year-old male patient who presented to a tertiary hospital in Menoufia, Egypt, in 2019 and developed acute pulmonary oedema with electrocardiogram (ECG) changes that showed ST elevation in leads I and aVL with reciprocal ST segment depression in infero-lateral leads with elevated cardiac biomarkers. Echocardiography showed regional wall motion abnormalities with an impaired ejection fraction of 42%. The condition was reversible after one week of supportive treatment and the patient was discharged from the hospital with normal electrocardiogram, ejection fraction and negative cardiac markers. A routine cardiac evaluation, serial ECG, serial cardiac markers and echocardiography should be considered for any patient exposed to a BWS bite for detection of any potentially fatal cardiac abnormalities.