"Thanks for permanent nightmares": Peruvian wolf spider eggs in toe story leaves internet appalled

A British man named Colin Blake recently became the talk of the town when he claimed that a wolf spider laid eggs in his toe while he was on holiday in France. This reportedly caused him significant distress and the matter required medical attention.

Blake, celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary on a cruise in Marseille, found that his toe had mysteriously turned purple overnight. Concerned about the sudden discoloration and swelling, he sought medical attention from the ship's doctor, who informed him that he had been bitten by a Peruvian wolf spider, which had laid eggs in his toe.

Social media users were shocked when they came across this incident and took to the comments section of @people's Instagram post to react to the same.

Social media user reacts to this news (Image via Instagram/@vivajvv)

However, an arachnalogist Dr. Sara Goodacre from the University of Nottingham while speaking to BBC refuted the possibility of a wolf spider laying eggs inside a human.

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Social media users react to Peruvian wolf spider reportedly laying eggs in man's toe, call the incident "horrifying"

Colin Blake recounted the ordeal, stating that he believes he was bitten by the spider when he and his wife were enjoying an outdoor meal. Medical staff had to reportedly cut open his toe owing to infection and discoloration. They reportedly then found milk-like pus that contained spider eggs, as per the New York Post.

As internet users came across the news online, they took to the comments section of @people's Instagram post and called it "horrifying."

Internet users' reactions (Image via Instagram)

Social media users' reactions (Image via Instagram)

Upon returning to the UK, Blake received treatment in a hospital and was put on a course of antibiotics to alleviate the swelling. However, as per Gizmodo, despite the claims, medical experts remain skeptical about the alleged presence of spider eggs in the wound.

Dr. Goodacre also spoke to BBC and explained that wolf spiders typically encase their eggs in a cotton-like substance, which they carry on their backs. Disputing the feasibility of the eggs surviving in a pus-infected wound, she said:

"I can’t possibly see how it could be true at all because I know about their biology. [The egg sacs] take quite a while to spin. The spider venom is not necrotising, it is designed to paralyse a fruit fly."

She continued:

"There is no European wolf spider that could really penetrate the skin."

The British Arachnological Society echoed the skepticism, deeming Blake's account "implausible."