The venom of the Brown recluse spider is potent enough to cause widespread tissue damage and a bite from this spider may result in a big, gangrenous wound that in severe cases can take several months, even years, to heal. The venom can also affect the rest of the body and cause a wide range of symptoms. The list below contains some of the most common Brown recluse spider bite symptoms, but it is important to keep in mind that different persons react in different ways. A bitten person can therefore develop a spider bite symptom that is not included below.

Two small, red bite marks are sometimes visible, but it is also common for them to be invisible to the human eye since they are very small and narrow

Pain in the bitten body part, especially around the bite marks

A small white blister that forms near the bite marks

An itch around the bite marks

A distinctive Brown recluse spider bite symptom is the so called blue-white-red wound. This wound consists of a blue or purplish centre surrounded by pale, white skin. The region around the wound becomes red.

A spider bite symptom will sometimes come from another part of the body than the bitten area. Common general spider bite symptoms are nausea, vomiting, headache, body ache, rashes, itching and fever.