Quadriplegia as a Rare Complication of Black Widow Spider Envenomation

 The bite of Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, generally known as the Black Widow Spider (BWS), can cause a variety of symptoms, including muscular spasm, back pain, abdominal pain, severe sweating, and shivering. The bite brings weakness, too; however, quadriplegia has not been mentioned in the literature.

 Here, we present a 42-year-old male with BWS bite who developed muscle weakness and paralysis in the four limbs. The patient needed mechanical ventilation. Nerve conduction velocity showed myopathy in the patient. The patient could eventually walk after 45 days of supportive treatment.

 It can be hypothesized that quadriplegia may happen due to the vast acetylcholine depletion.