There are few spiders as infamous as The Brown Recluse or Fiddleback Spider (Loxosceles reclusa, Sicariidae). Its name and iconic, fiddle-shaped marking have become synonymous with its necrotic venom which can result in cutaneous loxoscelism, or slow healing skin lesions in mammals. However, despite its notoriety as one of the two medically significant spiders endemic to the US, confirmed bites by Loxosceles reclusa are rare and most often medically insignificant. Yet physicians still continue to diagnose necrotic skin lesions as brown recluse bites even in areas where brown recluses are rare or undocumented. As a result, rampant overdiagnoses of loxoscelism in the last 20 years has fueled public misconceptions about the likelihood and risks posed by brown recluses and other spiders, further feeding into widely held fears of spiders. The aim of this study was to test whether video learning could reduce fear and correct misconceptions surrounding brown recluses and their bites in a population of undergraduate students at Oklahoma State University. We found that after watching a brief student-teaching video presenting facts about the brown recluse and demonstrating the results of bite, students reported a significant reduction of fear and students demonstrated better understanding of the risks.
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