Woman dies of flesh-eating bacteria after spider bite

A Memphis woman who had eight surgeries and had to have her leg amputated after being bitten by a brown recluse spider has died,

In July,

was in and out of the hospital, having eight surgeries and her left leg amputated after she told doctors she was bitten by a brown recluse spider.

However, WREG reported that she ended up back in the hospital with muscle pains in her other leg, which led to more surgeries. She had to be resuscitated twice.

"I talked to her and I held her hand, I told her I loved her," said her mother, Annette Boulton, who was by her side just before she died. Kiara had three children.

Kiara's death certificate lists necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria, as the cause of death, WREG said.

Her mother is still coming to terms with her death. She told WREG that Kiara had health problems, including diabetes, but said those issues got worse after the spider bite.

"The spider bites serious enough to require surgery are extremely rare," infectious disease doctor Steve Threlkeld said.

Threlkeld said Kiara's death was unlikely to be caused by a spider bite but more likely caused by an infection, which is dangerous for diabetics.

'What's very common is a bad diabetic, having bad complications and requiring or complete amputations," he said.

He told WREG that Kiara's case could be an eye-opener for diabetics to be sure to do three: diet, exercise and take their prescribed medication.

He also said that people are unlikely to get rid of brown recluse spiders completely. If you choose to spray, they will likely come back, he said.

"They love dark, 'recluse' places. They can't just reach up and bite somebody, they have to be squished."

The vast majority of spider bites are not severe, WREG reported.