A small spider bite turned into a big problem for a holidaying Brit who ended up with a hole in his stomach after being attacked by an eight-legged aggressor.
Nigel Hunt, 59, from the Isles of Scilly, was bitten in the stomach as he lay in bed one night in early summer.
Thinking it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, Mr Hunt, a window fitter, carried on with his daily activities, including a holiday flight to Egypt.
But the journey would soon turn into a life-threatening nightmare.
Mr Hunt became seriously ill just a few days into his holiday and noticed the site of the spider bite began to enlarge.
Nigel Hunt was bitten in the stomach as he lay in bed at his home in St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly, just hours before he was due to fly to Egypt.
Seeking medical help, she eventually went to the hospital, where tests revealed she had necrotizing fasciitis, better known as “flesh-eating disease,” which needed to be removed.
Seeking medical help, she eventually went to the hospital, where tests revealed she had necrotizing fasciitis, better known as “flesh-eating disease.”
This is a rare infection in which a wound in the skin and soft tissues of the body, such as a spider bite, becomes infected with bacteria.
These bacteria release toxins as they multiply, killing surrounding tissue. Mr Hunt has since had to have part of his abdomen removed to remove the dead flesh.
He recalled: ‘Upon arriving at the airport and going through check-in, we headed to departures.
‘At that point, everything seemed to deteriorate pretty quickly, from throwing up in the departure lounge to having my head in a vomit bag for most of the trip.
‘Upon arrival in Sharm El Sheikh, we gathered our belongings and headed to the pharmacy to buy some antibiotics or something to help with the illness.
‘They prescribed us a couple of things and the next day we went to the hospital to get the same medication.
‘The next two days things started to get worse, so we went to another hospital in Hadaba, where I immediately had blood tests and ultrasounds.
“We then waited a couple of hours for the doctor to review the results. He called us and told us that we were fine because the bite was from either a false black widow or a brown recluse spider.”
Mr Hunt, a window fitter, became very ill a few days into his holiday when the site of his spider bite began to get bigger.
Egyptian doctors told Mr Hunt he was probably the victim of a bite from a false widow spider (pictured) or a brown recluse spider.
Neither false widows nor brown recluses (pictured) are native to the UK, although they have been introduced here via shipments of fruit and other imports.
Although doctors initially thought she had a simple but painful abscess (a collection of pus from an infection), further tests revealed it was a much more serious case of necrotizing fasciitis.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment, which usually consists of a course of antibiotics and surgery to remove the dead flesh.
Mr Hunt said doctors told him he could have died if he had not sought medical help for the bite.
“If I hadn’t gone to the hospital for a second examination within six to ten days, I would be dead,” he said.
‘I still haven’t been given a date when I’ll be fit again because the wound is still open and I have to pack it up every two days.
‘I just have to make sure it hasn’t started spreading again.
‘Going from being healthy to being sick in such a short period of time and then being told you could die was terrifying.
“I can’t dive or snorkel, I can’t go to the beach in case sand gets into the wound, so I spend most of my time sitting watching TV, but I’m glad I’m still here.”
He urged his fellow Britons to be careful around spiders to avoid a potentially dangerous bite.
Neither the false widow nor the brown recluse spider are native to the UK.
False widows were introduced to Britain from the Canary Islands and Madeira on banana imports about 100 years ago, but have become established in southern parts of the British Isles.
Brown recluses are much rarer in the UK and are a North American spider species that is occasionally accidentally imported.
NHS England data shows 11 people needed hospital treatment for spider bites in 2022-23, the latest figures available.
This figure only includes admissions for poisonous spiders, not infections resulting from bites, as in Mr Hunt’s case.