Help! Spider Bites on My 2 Year Old Nephew!

It doesn't sound like spider bites to me either. My only recommendation would be to take this seriously and ask for another doctor's opinion without mentioning spider bites. Ask for testing if needed and get it resolved quickly expecially since the lymph nodes are swollen and the "bites" continue to appear. Good luck and I hope the little guy gets better.

Spider bites are often misdiagnosed. If you could send me a picture or describe these bites to me. It sounds like to me because of swollen lymph nodes its staph infections. Some people are carriers of this staph which is why they continue to get these infections. There is a slim chance your son is getting bit by spiders. I'm surprised the doctor didn't do skin cultures to rule out infection.

Hi E.,
My first guess is that it's not spider bites. I think that I would take him somewhere and have him tested for MRSA, they often show up spots that resemble spider bites

I second the opinion that these are most like MRSA infections. Has anyone ever seen a spider? Ever? MRSA is a resistant staph. Staph is the most common bacteria to infect skin. He probably gets a bump, picks at it and then he is colonized with MRSA and gets an infection. I would probably find a new pediatrician if he did not even suggest that it was an infection and did not do a culture. Well hope this helps a little and write me back if you have anymore questions because I am well acquanted with this.

Hi E.,

Sounds to me like they could be bedbug bites instead! Bedbugs are rampant the last few years, I am sure you have seen it in the news, this doesn't mean your house isn't clean, just possible that the bugs somehow traveled to your nephews house...to determine if they are bed bugs you need to check at night with a flashlight, they hide in the crevices of the mattress around the corners...are there any blood spots on the pillow etc? Another possible sign. good luck, if you do find out that it is indeed bed bugs, call an exterminator immediately. They are very hard to get rid of & you may need to get rid of his mattress. We had an unfortunate experience with bed bugs when visiting relatives in Fort Myers.

PS You should also have a skin scraping done to make sure he hasn't contracted a staph. infection.

Not to send anyone into panic mode, but have the doctors checked him for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)? The 'tell tale' sign of everyone I know who has had it (there are 4 I can think of right away) was multiple 'spider bites' in the course of a few months. Turns out they were signs of infection. If not treated immediately, the infection spreads and becomes antibiotic resistant.
It seems the doctor would have recognized a pattern by now, and it seems that THAT MANY would be incredibly dangerous if it were truly MRSA, especially considering his young age. But you may want to ask the doc about it and take him to an infectious disease specialist to rule out an infection like MRSA.

My daughter was plagued with bites and I thought they were spider bites, and they turned out to be flea bites, and we don't even have an animal! They can get them from playing outside and some kids are more susceptible than others as my son never had any bites! I know that eating garlic helps, but I would research what else you can eat to keep from getting more bites as well. Good luck

Hi - I am very skeptical that they are spider bites. It really sounds like mites, scabies, lice etc. some other nuisance. also he may be irritating or scratching himself at night. Take him to a dermatologist. A spider bites once and i just saw something the other day that said spider's get blamed a lot when it rarely is them. Is he in daycare? someplace different than his brother? Im not sure their ages...if he is older he is more active and maybe on playsets in backyard or playground? Any pets? "20 bites this year" all at once? one at a time? all makes a difference in the correct info and diagnosis. Lymphnodes swollen not a huge deal in children as they are fighting stuff all time... are the boys in deparate rooms? carpeting? feather pillows? Bedding? the room should be stripped and all bedding washed in hot hot water with a bit of bleach. She can also do some online searches of skin irritations or "bites". There are some insects that lay eggs under the skin and when hatch causes itching. Also give him some garlic soup - heavy on the garlic. It works miracles. sorry for the jagged writing pattern i am thinking as i write. Good luck. Oh also eliminate any stuffed animals.

Don't want to scare you and it certainly may not be this but someone at my work just had a similar situation. It turned out the spider bites weren't spider bites at all. She (and her 2 year old daughter) - had Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) - it's a staph infection that first appears on the body with the appearance of a spider bite. It can be very contagious and dangerous. Again - I hate scaring anyone with such a thing when it may not be that but since this just happened at my work, I've looked up a bit on the subject and it is definitely not something that should be ignored. Check with the pediatrician again on this and even a walk-in clinic if necessary. There is lots of info available on the internet about this infection. I certainly hope it's not that but felt compelled to tell you just in case.

I would take him to an infectious Disease doctor and have them look at him. Just to be on the safe side. Not trying to scare you but this could be MRSA and they will test him right at the Dr's office. It sounds like his Dr is just blowing you off and not wanting to do any work. For his sake and yours take him for a second opinion.

First and foremost if they are potentially staph infections, then you need to treat them properly. They must be thoroughly washed with soap and water, bactricin/neosporin (max strength since your dr. didn't provide you with prescription bactroban), then covered with band-aids, preferably those water-proof types like those made by Nexcare. If the area around these bumps are hot to the touch and swollen, they probably are filled with pus/infection. Warm compresses or heat pads should be applied.

My son's dr. drained his when he got three while on vacation (they all started with one mosquito bite on his arm, then spread to two places on his leg that had no injury what-so-ever.) Draining is gross, smelly and painful, but it's worth it, since they won't heal until the little white "plug" part comes out. They can leave pretty bad scars as well, since the infection can get deep. My son was also on a round of cephalexin. He hasn't gotten any since, but he has three dark scars from them. I am also prone to staph, so whenever I get even a razor scrape, I wash, spread the neosporin, and cover it. Thank goodness they make those tiny little circle band-aids now...we go through quite a bit.

I'd definitely take him to a specialist. It seems like most general practicioners do nothing these days... no cultures, no testing, nothing.

BUT-if it's not staph, then it could be dust mites or bed bugs. Some people are allergic to dust mites in ways other than sneezing. I would try zipping up his mattress in an allergen cover, get new pillows, and put the allergen covers on those as well. Then buy yourself dust mite/allergen relief laundry additives and wash all his pillowcases, sheets, blankets, etc. I've gotten some from this website before: www.natlallergy.com/

Check his mattress and box springs for places that spiders might get in. I was getting bit a lot when I was young and they were hiding in the box springs during the day and coming out when I got into bed at night. I would also advise checking the attic- use a spider 'bomb' to be safe. If you are not sure they are spider bites, try to find a doctor with spider bite experience, try skin doctors first. Your nephew could be sensative to anything that bites and his sensativity could make common mosquito bites seem more exaggerated like spider bites. Good luck! I can sympathize with your situation.

These could be mosquito bites too. Do they swell up into welts? My son got a bunch this summer and has scars all over his legs from them. Make sure there isn't a mosquito buzzing around his room....that's what we found...he was getting bitten in his sleep!