Brown Recluse Spider Bite, or Is It?

This is MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and now identified as (Community Acquired Methicillin Staphylococcus Aureus).
What most of the articles and research is showing recently is, in leiu of the absence of a spider specimen, as per deeper study and evaluation of most of these presenting infections have nothing to do with a spider bite at all, rather, exposure to this resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Keep in mind that you could be bitten by any insect and get infected if you happen to have this CA MRSA on your skin surface. In this case however, this vector exchange is usually found in the those that are at risk immunologically. These groups would include, HIV+, Diabetics, elderly, new borns young children, those on chemotherapy, chronic users of steroids for respiratory disease control, or those that are recovering from a virus infection like shingles, chicken pox or severe flu when your immune system is looking for regeneration periods. None the less, even healthy individuals are at risk should you have an open wound, puncture site, scratch or burn reacting to Community Acquired MRSA.

A wound is generally described as an opening on the skin surface that can either be superficial (redness or rubbed area) vs scratch/abrasion or outright laceration. Should you have just finished shaving your face or you ladies, just finished shaving your legs, you have thousands of micro wounds on your skin. Microscopic openings of your primary source of protection from the environment. Why do you think it burns when you splash that after shave lotion on your face afterwards. Ladies get the same reaction when they splash an after lotion on their freshly shaved legs. Those solutions contain an astringent so that those pores of those hair follicles that you just injured shaving, react by tightening or shrinking them, which aids in closure. Some of these solutions have an antibacterial effect, however it is very minimal.

Now this prunning and fluffing is usually the start of everyones day. It is either to go to work, to the gym, run errands or taking the kids to school, etc. In all of this activity you come into contact with hundreds of surfaces in your active day that are covered with that many germs multiplied in numbers beyond your imagination. The majority of these surfaces may not have had your personal cleanliness attention.
In leiu of this routine, knowing certain behaviors and calculating over the years all the infections experienced, there are some bahaviors the general public should take into consideration to guard your health.

1. HAND WASHING: Washing your hands for at least 15 seconds with plain soap and water (the same time it takes to sing one verse of "Happy Birthday") is one of the most paramount protections against infection. Notice though, PLAIN soap. There are more recent findings today that show that the antibacterial/antifungal chemicals that have saturated the market may not be as benificial as once believed. They may do more harm to you just by their chemical make up themselves. SEARCH SUGGESTION: TRICLOSAN.

2. Try to control the indiscriminate touching of your mouth or your eyes during the course of the day. That also includes the biting of your fingernails or playing with your hair.

3. At the gym or at sports functions, bring your own seat covering, excercise bench covers, personal yoga mat. Use your own soaps and personal items. Sharing make-up, deoderants, razors is no longer a safe BFF ritual. Nor is it a safe ritual to share even with your partner or spouse, razors or roll on deoderants.

4. At public places for dining. Always wash your hands before eating. It is not as taboo as you think to use the facilities restroom rather than reaching for that chemical liquid hand cleanser. Just use the soap and water supplied, taking that 15 seconds singing, "Happy Birthday" to yourself, good rinsing, drying with paper towel and use that towel to shut the water off and opening the door to return to your seat.

5. Just an in general note. Consider a healthier life style regarding diet, stress reduction, cessation of smoking, decreasing alcohol intake, increasing your excercise quality of your day.

6. Should you find yourself with a questionable rash or a festering pimple. Watch it closely avoiding the urge to pinch pop it.
Keep it clean dry and protected. If you notice significant change in its small size to large proportions with redness, hot to touch, or red streaks in a 12 hour to 24 hour period. Go get it checked out.

7. Never ASSume! You know, in reality... ASSuming is nothing more than 'denial' and 'rationalization' wearing different clothing. They are usually ways in which we deal with something that we are afraid of. Best off not to go that route. "Turn on the lights" and go get checked.

This is the map so wonderfully offered by the University of California, Riverside. Their spider research site is located here:

http://spiders.ucr.edu/

I was directed to this map by Rick Vetter and Glenda Crew.
Rick Vetter is an research associate of UCR and Glenda Crew is the web owner of SPIDERZRULE: http://www.spiderzrule.com/
I consider both of these people the most accurate in resource as they both approach the subject of spiders in general with a win/win situation when it comes to the spider's bad rap. Neither support the global extermination approach, rather offer alternatives via the avenue of common sense for living amongst them in our environment which in turn promotes our health decisions regarding our close encounters with them.

Of course this is the information of the US. Other countries have their own demographics available. The second map is of the state of florida that has some of the highest "reported spider bites" however of all the hundreds of subjective complaints per year, have a look at the actually proven by visualizing the specimen or research of the county reports from field identification.

For the Florida Map Above: FPICN reports of brown recluse spider bite diagnoses made by medical personnel in Florida counties, 1997-2002. Two diagnoses were made from unknown counties. Shaded counties indicate no diagnoses reported in the database numbers with asterisks next to them indicate that Loxosceles spiders have been found in that county within the previous 100 years. All rights reserved Richard Vetter, University of California Research

There are many websites that you could find yourself on that have information about the Brown Recluse, however I have found that many are written for the purpose of sensationalism, promote sales or are a rendition of a reality fear factor series. You will find the greatest infractions of information on youtube. The majority of the stomach turning vids of squeezing and popping abcesses, ugly looking wounds are generally attributed to a the bite of a recluse without mentioning that they never saw what bit them nor had a specimen to have it identified as well as living in a state that do not even have recluse as residents. CA MRSA, General STAPH infection or Flesh Eating Organism is the usual culprit. In either case, of those that are showing self care of these wounds without professional medical advice or attention? Well we all know what ASSume really means do we not?