Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NUI GALWAY RESEARCHERS have developed the world’s first verified guide and symptoms checklist on how to recognise and treat bites from the false widow spider.
Although the household spider is common here, it is in fact a foreign species that has steadily invaded Ireland over the past 20 years through human transport of goods.
The first true case of a false widow spider bite was identified in the UK in the 1990s – the second was in Chile last year.
There has since been five additional reported cases, three in Ireland and two in the UK, leading to the NUI Galway study being the most intensive research carried out on this species to date.
A false widow’s bite is not fatal, but it can result in a large swelling within three minutes of being bitten, sometimes followed by the formation of a dry necrotic wound when the swelling subsides, and inflammation for a few days afterwards.
These are the symptoms they listed, ranked from common to uncommon:
Very common (almost all victims present these symptoms):
Common (present in a majority of victims in addition to the above)
Rare (some victims may present this symptoms in addition to the ones above)
Very rare (very few victims may present these symptoms in addition to all or some of the above)
The venom from a false widow spider is a lot more powerful than the researchers expected, producing about one tenth of a millionth of a litre of venom.
The lead author of the study, Dr Michel Dugon from the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, said:
While it is extremely unlikely that a bite will ever be fatal, we do need to consider bites from False Widows as a potential health risk given the increase of this species not just in the UK and Ireland but also mainland Europe and the US.
The team compiled the list and guide while investigating whether the venom from a false widow spider could also be a source of novel therapeutics to develop medication to treat illnesses ranging from bacterial infection to cancer.
The Venom Systems and Proteomics lab in NUI Galway is the only one in the world working on extracting venom from the false widow spider for potential therapies.
This particular species of spider is having a detrimental effect on other local species and spiders in Ireland due to their competitiveness and quick breeding ability.
The false widow lives for five to seven years whereas most other spider and bug species in Ireland only lives for up to one year.
In Ireland, false widow spiders live close to buildings and houses inhabited by people, and can only survive in cities and not in rural areas.
Based on the latest research, Dublin, Cork and Wexford have the highest number of false widow spiders.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
good to see this crap taken off the streets. Tha gardai that do this type of work are the toughest bravest citizens in the state & no money could pay them to do it. They dont get enough of support.
They do a good job and get payed well for it.
Really? I suggest you go into the courts & see who they have to deal with before you consider their pay grade. I wouldnt or couldnt do their job.
Is your avator meant to be ironic
I don’t know enough to comment on how good or bad they are at their job. Fair play to them but nobody is forcing them to do it. It’s your opinion.
Great work get this dirty drug out of Ireland
Well done to the Gardai, they are doing a good job despite all the obstacles put in their way
Great find, that disgusting drug killed my sister, great to see such a big find and hopefully all involved wont see freedom for manys a year now.
Nidge won’t be happy!
Can I hit the red thumb twice for the love hate jokes? .. Please Journal
Hahahaha
@baz – ‘joke’ implies it was funny, it wasn’t
Nidge doesn’t joke!
Great capture, heroin is a scourge across all societies. Hopefully there won’t be any punishment attacks as a result of this seizure.
At least it’s more productive that all the recent cannabis seizures!
Do a lot of the seizures seem to be in the Kildare area?
Or am I just misremembering?
Celbridge is the Baltimore of Leinster.
Would you like some cake fathers, theres cocaine in it! Oh sorry its those what do you call its…RAISINS!
Careful, the joke police are patrolling…
Hate that, somebody’s gonna be pi$$ed !
About time they found something other than cannabis. There is a lot more of the sh*t on the street to Gardai, Win for you now but a lot more work to do!
I just can’t get that in such a small country there are quantities bigger than this latest find stashed all over the place and its hard to find? Surely its being managed by a small number of people, all of whom will be known to the gards and customs.
Gardai did well here but it is what they are paid to do…..
Not very well I’m afraid. The pay doesn’t reflect the dangers there exposed to. After all the cut over the last few yrs it’s worse than ever before. Gardai don’t get enough credit.
Does anyone know how much of the 35kg was heroin and how much was cocaine? I’m trying to figure out what the official Garda value of a gram of either of these drugs is.
have your say