Tenn. Boy Ruled Killed by Spider Bite

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A 5-year-old boy's death was the result of a bite by a poisonous brown recluse spider, the state medical examiner ruled.

Nicholas Robinson was bitten while playing outside his home about 70 miles south of Nashville on July 29.

The child was taken to a doctor, who determined he was suffering from a virus rather than a bite. However, that night the child was rushed to a hospital, where his symptoms included hypersalivation, sweating and neurological problems before he died, according to the medical examiner's report, completed Thursday.

"In about the last 30 or 40 years, I was only able to find about six deaths related to bites proving to be from a brown recluse spider," said Dr. Bruce Levy, the medical examiner.

The brown recluse is one of two common spiders in the United States _ the other is the black widow _ that are considered poisonous, the National Institutes of Health said. The bite can cause a rash, swelling and flu-like symptoms and in rare cases, kidney failure, seizures and coma.

The spider is most common in the South and central United States.

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National Institutes of Health: http://www.nih.gov/