---
title: "Septic arthritis and MSSA sepsis after a spider bite: case report and literature review"
id: "pubmed-42885523"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42885523"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Critical Care"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/"
doi: "10.5603/imh.111376"
published_at: "2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Septic arthritis and MSSA sepsis after a spider bite: case report and literature review
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42885523
- **Specialty:** [Critical Care](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/critical-care.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/)
- **DOI:** [10.5603/imh.111376](https://doi.org/10.5603%2Fimh.111376)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- A 41-year-old man developed skin lesions and subcutaneous abscesses in the gluteal region and lower limb after a tourist trip to Kenya; investigators reported the lesions were attributed to a spider bite. - The patient was admitted to a university hospital with clinical deterioration; the course progressed to systemic infection and joint involvement. - Data indicated development of sepsis and **septic arthritis** of the hip contralateral to the primary skin lesions, an unusual distribution. - Microbiological evaluation of peripheral blood, synovial fluid, and pus from abscesses consistently identified **methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA)** as the causative pathogen. - The authors noted this was the first documented report linking **staphylococcal septic arthritis** directly to a nonvenomous **spider bite** in an immunocompetent patient. - The report outlines the diagnostic approach and treatment used by the team; the abstract does not provide detailed therapeutic regimens, antibiotic dosing, or duration. - The publication compares the case with other reports in the literature and discusses spider bites as often underestimated complaints among travelers returning from tropical regions. - The source emphasized the potential for generalized bacterial superinfection following arthropod bites, even in patients without known immunosuppression. - The abstract did not report specific laboratory values, imaging findings, or surgical interventions; those details were not available in the source text. - Keywords listed by the authors: **MSSA**; **septic arthritis**; **spider bite**; staphylococcal sepsis; travel medicine; tropics.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Online ahead of print. # Septic arthritis attributed to a spider bite - a case report and review of the literature [Kamil Kosal](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kosal+K&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland."), [Agata Tomaszewska](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Tomaszewska+A&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland."), [Klaudia Julia Kościelecka](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Ko%C5%9Bcielecka+KJ&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#full-view-affiliation-2 "Central University Hospital, Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland."), [Malgorzata Maria Paul](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Paul+MM&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 3 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#full-view-affiliation-3 "Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Internal Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. mpaul@ump.edu.pl.") Affiliations Expand ### Affiliations * 1 Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland. * 2 Central University Hospital, Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. * 3 Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Internal Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. mpaul@ump.edu.pl. * PMID: **42885523** * DOI: [ 10.5603/imh.111376 ](https://doi.org/10.5603/imh.111376) Item in Clipboard # Septic arthritis attributed to a spider bite - a case report and review of the literature Kamil Kosal et al. Int Marit Health. 2026. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Int Marit Health Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Int+Marit+Health%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22Int+Marit+Health%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/) . 2026 Oct 16. doi: 10.5603/imh.111376. Online ahead of print. ### Authors [Kamil Kosal](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kosal+K&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland."), [Agata Tomaszewska](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Tomaszewska+A&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland."), [Klaudia Julia Kościelecka](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Ko%C5%9Bcielecka+KJ&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Central University Hospital, Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland."), [Malgorzata Maria Paul](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Paul+MM&cauthor_id=42885523)[ 3 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42885523/#short-view-affiliation-3 "Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Internal Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. mpaul@ump.edu.pl.") ### Affiliations * 1 Student Scientific Society of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 5, 60-806 Poznań, Poland. * 2 Central University Hospital, Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. * 3 Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Internal Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland. mpaul@ump.edu.pl. * PMID: **42885523** * DOI: [ 10.5603/imh.111376 ](https://doi.org/10.5603/imh.111376) Item in Clipboard Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Linked Discoveries ## Abstract Individuals who travel to tropical or subtropical areas are exposed to various infectious, environ-mental, and climatic risk factors, as well as traffic accidents, security problems, natural disasters, and direct contact with potentially dangerous plants or animals. Accidental bites by venomous spiders during long journeys are always dangerous to health and life, but it is not usually recognized that nonvenomous spiders also pose such a substantial threat to the lives of local inhabitants and travelers. Here, we present an unusual case of a 41-year-old male patient who was admitted to the University Hospital after a tourist trip to Kenya with skin lesions and abscesses located in the gluteal region and the lower limb, caused by a tropical spider bite. As a severe complication, the patient developed sepsis and septic arthritis of the hip, contralateral to the primary skin lesions. Microbiological evalua-tion of peripheral blood, synovial fluid, and pus from subcutaneous abscesses consistently identified methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) as the cause of sepsis. This case is unusual and exceptional, as it illustrates the possibility of a serious complication in the form of generalized bacterial superinfection accompanying a spider bite in an immunocompetent person. It was also the first documented report of staphylococcal septic arthritis directly related to a nonvenomous spider bite. In this publication, we present our diagnostic and treatment approach, compare it with other similar cases from the available literature, and discuss spider bites as a common and often downplayed complaint in patients returning from tropical areas in daily medical practice. **Keywords:** MSSA; septic arthritis; spider bite; staphylococcal sepsis; travel medicine; tropics. 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