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myiasis
Direct invasion of tissue by insect larvae, especially maggots of the metallic-colored screw worm flies or botflies.
Etiology:
1) Furuncular myiasis:
- Dermatobia hominis (human botfly)
- Cordylobia anthropophaga (African tumba fly)
2) Creeping dermal myiasis: (see etiologic agents)
- Gastrophilus intestinalis (horse botfly)
- Hypoderma (cattle botflies)
3) Wound & body cavity myiasis:
- Chrysomyia bezziani (screw worm fly)
- Cochliomyia hominivorax
- Wohlfahrtia vigil
4) Intestinal myiasis:*
- Eristalis tenax (drone fly)
5) Ophthalomomyiasis:
- Oestrus ovis (sheep botfly)
- agents of furuncular & wound & body cavity myiasis may also cause ophthalomomyiasis
* most instances in which maggots are found in human feces result from deposition of larvae by flies on recently passed stools
Epidemiology:
-> unconscious & debilitated patients at risk
Pathology:
1) larvae are deeply invasive into viable tissue, producing large suppurating lesions
2) larvae that infest wounds may also infest body cavities such as the mouth, ears, sinuses, anus, vagina & lower urinary tract
3) Ophthalomomyiasis:
a) eyelid nodules
b) retinal detachment
c) destruction of the globe
Clinical manifestations:
-> variable from harmless colonization to destruction of nose, meningitis & deafness
Management:
-> removal of maggots & debridement of tissue
Related
larva
maggot
General
parasitic infection
References
- Clinical Diagnosis & Management by Laboratory Methods,
19th edition, J.B. Henry (ed), W.B. Saunders Co.,
Philadelphia, PA. 1996, pg 1303
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 13th ed.
Isselbacher et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1994, pg 936
- Baptista MAFB
Nasal Myiasis
N Engl J Med 2015; 372:e17. March 19, 2015
PMID: 25785986
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1403473