The good news is that spider bites are actually quite rare events. A recent summary of reported spider bites in the United States between 1989 and 1993 included fewer than 5,000 incidents per year. During the study period, dog bites were responsible for 20 deaths per year, and auto-deer collisions were associated with 130 annual deaths. A particularly famous headline story involved a group of injuries associated with orchard workers in Florida. The workers' sores were first thought to be the result of spider bites, but they turned out to be secondary infections following spine punctures from working on the trees.
Spider bites are most serious when the victim is very young or aged.
Particularly sensitive persons of any age may also have an adverse reaction to animal bites. Many of us know someone who is very sensitive to bee or wasp stings. The bite of a normally harmless spider might be a serious problem for such a person. The venoms of spiders are the result of spiders adaptation to its predatory habits. The poison is generally most effective at killing their natural prey, usually an insect.