The black widow spider bite: differential diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and treatment options.

Unrecognized and untreated black widow spider bites cause significant pain, impairment, and rarely death. The widow venom, a powerful neurotoxin known as a-latrotoxin, causes muscle pain, diaphoresis, tachycardia, flushing, and hypertension. Treatment is usually symptomatic with a combination of opioid analgesics and muscle relaxants.