About.com reader Michelle M. submitted this spider bite and isn't sure whether the spider bit her in the middle of the night or in the middle of doing housework. One thing's for sure, she doesn't know when -- or how -- she got the bite.
By now, most of my readers know that spiders are just one cause of raised lesions or boils like this one. There are lots of critters besides spiders that bite, and skin infections -- staph, strep and MRSA are the favorites -- can also look very similar (as these MRSA pictures illustrate).
In this particular case, Michelle says a doctor told her this was not only a spider bite, but specifically a brown recluse bite. I'm very skeptical of any doctor who purports to identify a brown recluse bite simply by observing it. Read Michelle's entire submission here.
Any opinions expressed here are for educational purposes only and are not intended for diagnosis.
Have a spider bite you want to share? Submit a picture of your spider bite.
Want to talk about spider bites? Ask others and see more bites on the First Aid Forum.
Get more first aid information by signing up for our free newsletter.
