Impact of the media on the Poison Control Centres: the false outbreak of Loxosceles Rufescens spider bite in Italy

Objective.To describe the increment of telephone calls to the Poison Control Centre (PCC) of Policlinico Umberto I Hospital – Sapienza University of Rome related to Loxosceles Rufescens (LR) spider bites following an alarming awareness campaign in the media. Methods.The telephone calls to the PCC on alleged LR bites from April 2016 to September 2018 were reviewed. The month of April 2018, when the lay press published the first alarming article, was identified as an index. Data were normalized for the increase in the overall consultations registered in 2018. Results.The recorded enquiries regarding LR bites were as follows: i) 22 calls over the two years period April 2016 - March 2018, of which 4 from Emergency Department (ED) and 18 from private citizens; ii) 79 calls from April 2018 to September 2018, of which 18 from ED and 61 from private citizens. The mean age of subjects was 49 years (range: 12 months - 86 years). Only 2 subjects presented a skin lesion suggestive of LR: i) a 3-year old child hospitalized for 1 day for a necrotic skin lesion and low-grade fever. ii) a 61-years old man who presented an ulcerative skin lesion and was already treated at home with oral antibiotic therapy.Conclusions.Irrational fears about insects and other arthropods are very common. LR rarely bites humans and, contrary to what often stated or claimed, its bite causes minor, transient effects. Currently, there is no known fatal case. The “lethal” reputation of LR is mostly predicated by the lay press. It is well-known that the increase in mass media coverage is associated with an increase in ED admissions.This report allows the follow considerations: i) the mass media play a pivotal role in public health behavior and may influence health care utilization, ii) medical news reports may cause alarm, often unjustified, and may have significant costs either in terms of public health or in terms of people’s quality of life, iii) diagnoses of LR bite are mostly incorrect or refer at least to non-verified bites.