Spider bite in sensitive spot lands man in hospital

A redback spider has interrupted a young man's toilet break. Picture / John Stone

A tradesman needed hospital treatment after being bitten on the penis by a redback spider while sitting on the toilet in Sydney, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The man was using a Portaloo on a building site when the spider bit him yesterday morning, the paper said.

Paramedics were initially called but the man, known only as Jordan, made his own way to hospital.

St George Hospital confirmed a 21-year-old man arrived at the emergency department a short time later. He was due to be discharged later yesterday.

Associate Professor Julian White from Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital told the Telegraph that minor bites were common in Australia.

"Going back 80 years or so when people were still using outhouse toilets it was extremely common, something like up to 80 per cent of cases of spider bites were bites on the male genitalia," he said

"Typically they were using the toilet. But it's much less common now, I can't think of a case."