Couple rushed to hospital after spider stowed away in suitcase bites them after returning to UK from Med holiday hotspot
A COUPLE had to get hospital treatment after being bitten by a spider which stowed away in their suitcase.
Helen Taylor and hubby Andrew, both 49, were attacked at home after a holiday in Turkey.
They believe the venomous arachnid — thought to be a brown recluse spider — had been lurking since August in their utility room, which they also use as an office.
Helen was bitten first — on her ankle in October — but did not know what had attacked her.
Her joint swelled and she was put on antibiotics by A&E medics.
She said: “I couldn’t put any pressure on my foot for two days.”
Two weeks later, Andrew’s leg was also bitten in the same room, but with a much more serious reaction.
Helen said: “Andrew had a fever, a really high temperature and was delirious. We were really worried.
“He went to A&E. He’s seen the doctor three times and has been prescribed antibiotics, but there isn’t any sign it is healing.
“He’s got a huge open wound on his ankle with puss coming out continuously.”
The couple, from Rustington, West Sussex, run a food delivery service, but Andrew has been bedridden.
They have been spraying their home with pest killer every day and found a dead spider, which they have identified themselves.
Brown recluse spiders hide in dark places and rarely attack humans.
They have “necrotic venom”, which kills tissue, leaving wounds which can become gangrenous.