A 10-year-old Australian boy has survived a bite from one of the world's most venomous spiders after receiving 12 vials of anti-venom, reportedly one of the largest doses ever administered in the country.
Matthew Mitchell was bitten on his finger by a funnel-web spider while helping his father clear a shed. He suffered multiple seizures, dilated eyes, and began frothing at the mouth.
His family used a shirt as a tourniquet to slow the spread of venom as he was rushed to hospital. The boy received the anti-venom, believed to be the highest dose given to a bite victim in living memory, according to the Australian Daily Telegraph.
The spider was captured and taken to the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney, where it is now used in a venom-milking programme. Park general manager Tim Faulkner said Matthew was 'as lucky as they get'.
Funnel-web spiders are responsible for most recorded spider bite deaths in Australia, with 13 recorded fatalities. No deaths have occurred since an anti-venom programme began.
