EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Brown recluse venom, like many of the other brown spider venoms, is cytotoxic and hemolytic. It contains at least 8 components, including enzymes such as hyaluronidase, deoxyribonuclease, ribonuclease, alkaline phosphatase, and lipase.

Detailed explanation-2: -A brown recluse’s venom can destroy blood vessels, tissue, and nerves. As a result, the skin tissue can die, a phenomenon called skin necrosis. In a 2020 study of 97 patients bitten by the spider, 40 percent experienced hemolysis, the damaging or breaking down of red blood cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -Spider venoms typically contain dozens of different cysteine-rich peptides, whereof most are thought to act on channels and receptors on membranes of excitable cells. That is why they are often referred to as neurotoxic peptides or neurotoxin-like peptides.

Detailed explanation-4: -Brown recluse spiders are rarely seen or identified. A brown recluse bite often is not felt when it happens. The complex venom causes injury and death (necrosis) of the surrounding tissues.