Anthony Lane, 21, woke at his new student house to find a small black bite on his left thigh, surrounded by an inflammation
A student was left with an almost inch-deep wound in his leg after he was bitten in his sleep by a spider, which he believes was a false widow.
Anthony Lane, 21, woke at his new student house to find a small black bite on his left thigh, surrounded by an inflammation.
He searched online and found pictures and videos of bites from the noble false widow – Britain’s most venomous spider – that matched his injury.
The false widow, native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, is believed to have arrived in the UK in the late 19th century, but has become more widespread and common in recent years due to milder winters.
It is one of the few spiders native to the British Isles capable of inflicting a painful bite to humans, with symptoms usually similar to a bee or wasp sting.
Mr Lane, who is studying sports development and management at University of Portsmouth, went to the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics.
The wound, however, grew in size and appeared to look increasingly infected, so he was rushed to A&E at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Hampshire.
A student was left with an almost inch-deep wound in his leg (pictured) after he was bitten in his sleep by a spider, which he believes was a false widow
During the operation, a hole two centimetres deep, four centimetres wide and three centimetres long was cut in his leg to remove the infection.
Anthony, who is originally from Cambridge, said he could tell the bite was from a false widow because he found a video on YouTube showing symptoms identical to his own
The budding PE teacher said trousers or bed covers rubbing against the bite caused him ‘unbearable pain’, so he wore shorts after the incident.
Mr Lane, who lives in Southsea, said: ‘I noticed what looked like a normal bite, but it had a large red ring around the outside, and the inside started turning black.
‘The doctor said to get some antibiotics, which were pretty useless, so I went to A&E and they said I would have to stay overnight and have surgery.
The budding PE teacher said trousers or bed covers rubbing against the bite caused him ‘unbearable pain’, so he wore shorts after the incident
‘That whole area had got a lot worse as the venom was trying to eat away at my leg.’
During the operation, a hole two centimetres deep, four centimetres wide and three centimetres long was cut in his leg to remove the infection.
He currently has to have his dressing changed every day and this will continue for at least a week.
Mr Lane, who is originally from Cambridge, said he could tell the bite was from a false widow because he found a video on YouTube showing symptoms identical to his own.
He added: ‘I had not noticed any spiders in the house before it happened, but we found two false widows afterwards.
‘We have hoovered the whole house since and the landlord sent someone round to prevent any more getting in.’
The third-year student plays as a striker for the university’s second football team, but his injury means he will miss several weeks of action.
He said: ‘I will go down and watch the game, but I don’t think I will be able to play for the next few weeks.
‘It is the most frustrating thing. I hate watching, especially if a striker misses a chance.’