Reliable diagnoses of<unk> s require three conditions: first, there should be clinical effects of the bite at the time or soon afterwards, although there are no symptoms universally diagnostic of a<unk> , and bites by some<unk> s, e.g. Loxosceles species, may initially be painless; second, the<unk>  should be collected, either at the time of the bite or immediately afterwards; and third, the<unk>  should be identified by an expert arachnologist.<unk> s are commonly misdiagnosed. A review published in 2016 showed that 78% of 134 published medical case studies of supposed<unk> s did not meet the necessary criteria for a<unk>  to be verified. In the case of the two genera with the highest reported number of bites, Loxosceles and Latrodectus,<unk> s were not verified in over 90% of the reports. Even when verification had occurred, details of the treatment and its effects were often lacking. Unverified bite reports likely represent many other conditions, both infectious and non-infectious, which can be confused with<unk> s. Many of these conditions are far more common and more likely to be the source of necrotic wounds. An affected person may think that a wound is a<unk>  when it is actually an infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). False reports of<unk> s in some cases have led to misdiagnosis and mistreatment, with potentially life-threatening consequences.
Spider bite
Dog bite
Cat bite
Animal bite
Centipede bite
Nail biting
Snakebite
Needlestick injury