Scientists believe a spider could lead to a breakthrough in sexual health after finding a single bite can cause a four hour erection.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia believe the venom of the Brazilian wandering spider could lead to a new cure for erectile dysfunction.

Dr Kenia Nunes, a physiologist at the college, said it works in a different way to Viagra, reports the Daily Mail.

"This is good because we know that some patients don't respond to the conventional therapy. This could be an optional treatment for them," she said.

Her study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, involved experiments using hypertensive rats with severe erectile dysfunction.

"The toxin was able to normalise the erectile dysfunction in these animals," said Dr Nunes.

However, further research is required. Other side-effects can include loss of muscle control, severe pain, difficulty breathing and death.

Dr Nunes added: "The venom of the Phoneutria nigriventer spider is a very rich mixture of several molecules.

"These molecules are called toxins, and then we have various toxins in this venom with different activity.

"Because of this, when a human is bitten by this spider, we can observe many different symptoms including priapism, a condition in which the penis is continually erect."

orange.co.uk