Woman forced to have leg amputated after being bitten by 'harmless' spider

A woman had to have her leg amputated after she was bitten by a spider.

Kristal Joseph, from Australia, was just about to start her 'dream job' when she was bitten on her foot by a white-tailed spider near Sydney back in February.

Initially, the bite left a small mark on her skin, which developed into an ulcer and then into a large infection, with the mum-of-five having to be rushed to hospital.

The white-tailed spiders are fairly common Down Under, and people are often nipped by them, and though they can leave a nasty mark, they're not considered to be particularly dangerous.

However, Kristal was not so lucky; over the course of 12 weeks, her condition deteriorated and she had to undergo 10 debridement surgeries to remove infected skin, tendons, and dead tissue.

Kristal Joseph was bitten by a spider back in February. Credit GoFundMe

Despite all this though, Kristal's health continued to plummet, and she was rushed into intensive care with stage five kidney failure and fears she may die.

But while they were able to stabilise her condition, the infection continued to spread into her bones, and doctors were left with no other option but to amputate the 29-year-old's leg last week.

Husband Callum told the Daily Mail: "Something must have gone wrong but we don’t know what.

"The doctors and medical staff are trying to figure out where everything went wrong and we're waiting on a biopsy and other test results.

"For some reason it takes a long time because they've got to grow some sort of bacteria."

He said the whole ordeal has had an enormous impact on their family.

Selfwood / Alamy Stock Photo

“It’s totally life-changing,” he said.

“It’s taken a huge emotional, mental and physical toll on Kristal. The whole process has been such an ordeal for her and our family."

Adding: "The doctors thought the bite would go away by itself but it turned into a big blister and stated oozing.

"She had to undergo an urgent debridement a few days later. They ended up removing half of her ankle."

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Kristal and Callum, who has been forced to take time off work to help care for her.

Despite enduring such a nightmare, though Kristal's friend says she's not letting it beat her.

Nicole Rugendyke wrote on the fundraising page: "She faces these challenges with courage and composure.

"She is always thinking of others. She never likes to draw attention to herself, make a fuss or ask for help."

Topics: Health, Australia, Animals

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is the News/Agenda Desk Lead, covering the latest trends and breaking stories. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom