Yellow sac spiders temporarily shut down Wisconsin school after student, teacher bitten
A middle school in Wisconsin closed temporarily after a teacher and a student were bitten by yellow sac spiders last week.
Dozens of yellow sac spiders were found at Wilson Middle School in Manitowoc, a city about 80 miles north of Milwaukee, the school's principal Cory Erlandson said in a letter sent to families and obtained by local media last week.
Manitowoc Public School District Superintendent James Feil confirmed to The Associated Press that classes were dismissed on Thursday after the student was bitten. The school remained closed on Friday, but reopened on Monday, local media reports.
According to WBAY, the student was in class when she brushed the spider off of her arm, which then became itchy and swollen.
The student's parents were called and the school nurse provided medical attention. A teacher was also bitten by a spider and needed medical attention for "swelling, itching and pain," Fox 6 News Milwaukee said.
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Pest control was called and arrived at the school early Friday to eradicate the spiders, WBAY reported. Close to 30 spiders were killed.
Feil told the outlet that the district didn't know how the spiders got into the school, but was glad that they took the necessary "immediate action."
USA TODAY reached out to Manitowoc Public School District and Wilson Middle School for further information Wednesday morning.
The letter sent to families noted that yellow sac spider bites are not lethal – but "can be very painful at the outset and resemble an allergic reaction," WBAY reported.
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According to Pennsylvania State University Extension and Michigan State University, yellow sac spiders (notably the Cheiracanthium inclusum and C. mildei species) account for a significant amount of human bites across the U.S.
"Although most of these bites are painful at the outset, they normally do not result in any serious medical conditions," Penn State Extension writes – adding that reactions to a bite can include intense itching, blistering, a burning sensation and, in some cases, fever and nausea.
Contributing: The Associated Press.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wisconsin school temporarily closed after yellow sac spider bites
