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A 2 cm in diameter abscess on the right thigh with a central punctum surrounded by an erythematous ring
Source publication
Background
Furuncular myiasis is a parasitic infection of a live mammal by fly larvae commonly seen in Africa. However, with an increase in international tourism, there is a significant rise in exotic infection in non-endemic areas which can pose a diagnostic challenge to doctors and potentially lead to delay in treatment. From the current literatu...
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Citations
... Manual extraction is usually done with a gentle press on the furuncle with hands (fingers) and paraffin or ointments are usually applied on the central punctum to suffocate the larvae. Dehecq and colleauges [34] manually extracted two larvae from a 9-month-old boy and the lesions healed shortly after extraction [23,66]. There was 45.3% of the reviewed literature which used manual extraction to successfully remove larvae [9,17,30,33,36,37]. ...
... Pezzi M and colleauges [8] mechanically extracted 15 larvae from a 45-year-old man, however, 5 of the larvae were damaged. The patient was given a treatment of doxycycline for a week and recovered later [22,66,73]. Of the reported cases, 28% did not specify the extraction method used. ...
Background
Human myiasis is a parasitic dipteran fly infestation that infects humans and vertebrates worldwide. However, the disease is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is under-reported and therefore its prevalence is unknown. This systematic review aims to elucidate the prevalence of human myiasis, factors that influence the infection, and myiasis-causing fly species in SSA. The review also dwelled on the common myiasis types and treatment methods of human myiasis.
Methods
Here, we collect cases of human myiasis in Sub-Saharan Africa based on literature retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct from 1959 to 2022. A total of 75 articles and 157 cases were included in the study. The recommendations of PRISMA 2020 were used for the realization of this systematic review.
Results
In total, 157 cases of human myiasis in SSA were reviewed. Eleven fly species ( Cordylobia anthropophaga , Cordylobia rodhaini , Dermatobia hominis , Lucilia cuprina , Lucilia sericata , Oestrus ovis , Sarcophaga spp., Sarcophaga nodosa , Chrysomya megacephala , Chrysomya chloropyga and Clogmia albipuntum ) were found to cause human myiasis in SSA. Cordylobia anthropophaga was the most prevalent myiasis-causing species of the reported cases (n = 104, 66.2%). More than half of the reported cases were from travelers returning from SSA (n = 122, 77.7%). Cutaneous myiasis was the most common clinical presentation of the disease (n = 86, 54.7%). Females were more infected (n = 78, 49.6%) than males, and there was a higher infestation in adults than young children.
Conclusion
The findings of this study reveals that international travelers to Sub-Saharan Africa were mostly infested therefore, we recommend that both international travelers and natives of SSA be enlightened by public health officers about the disease and its risk factors at entry points in SSA and the community level respectively. Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa often misdiagnose the disease and most of them lack the expertise to properly identify larvae, so we recommend the extensive use of molecular identification methods instead.
... Myiasis is an infestation of the skin and mucous membranes by dipterous maggots, namely Dermatobia hominis, the human botfly, which can produce furuncular (the most common), creeping, or traumatic lesions. [1][2][3][4][5] Human myiasis is a worldwide infection, mostly related to warm and humid environment and frequently related to previous travel history, but other risk factors including poor hygiene and low socioeconomic status may favour the disease, [3][4][5] as in this case. Lesions are normally single and usually harbour only one larva, with the breathing tube visible within the skin hole. ...
... Myiasis is an infestation of the skin and mucous membranes by dipterous maggots, namely Dermatobia hominis, the human botfly, which can produce furuncular (the most common), creeping, or traumatic lesions. [1][2][3][4][5] Human myiasis is a worldwide infection, mostly related to warm and humid environment and frequently related to previous travel history, but other risk factors including poor hygiene and low socioeconomic status may favour the disease, [3][4][5] as in this case. Lesions are normally single and usually harbour only one larva, with the breathing tube visible within the skin hole. ...
... Lesions occur most commonly on exposed areas, so scalp lesions are uncommon. [3][4][5] Myiasis' diagnosis is clinical, but dermoscopy can be helpful. 3,5 Treatment consists on the mechanic removal of the larva usually after application of a toxic substance. ...
... Myiasis is a parasitic infestation of a live mammal's organs and/or tissues by larvae of dipterous flies, which can be living or partially/completely necrotic. They feed on their host's tissue to grow and mature [1]. Especially widespread in tropical and subtropical areas (including Central America, South America, and tropical Africa), but often in temperate climates too, this parasitosis is classified based on two main systems: anatomical and ecological. ...
Myiasis has been defined as the infestation of organs and/or tissues with dipterous larvae. They are especially widespread in tropical and subtropical areas. Cutaneous myiasis is its most frequent clinical presentation. This report presents a case of furuncular myiasis caused by the larva of Cordylobia anthropophaga in a 22-year-old girl living in Bergamo, Northern Italy, who returned from Kenya (Watamu) with a big, painful furuncle in her right gluteus. The patient accidentally removed the larva from a large pimple and took it to the infectious disease ambulatory clinic at the ASST “Papa Giovanni XXIII” Hospital, Bergamo. In the Microbiology and Virology Department of the same hospital, a larva of C. anthropophaga was identified and the diagnosis of myiasis was confirmed.
Background
Myiasis is an infestation of neglected open wounds by fly larvae. Global warming, related climate changes, and increased traveling in tropical countries may contribute to the worldwide diffusion of new fly species. Common risk factors for myiasis are advanced age, poor hygiene, malnourishment, social isolation, diabetes, cancer, and peripheral artery disease. The aim of this study was to review the characteristics of cases of myiasis reported in Europe.
Methods
A narrative review of cutaneous myiasis was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science database, and the search terms “human,” “myiasis,” “cutaneous myiasis,” “maggot,” “Europe,” “wound,” with the combination of “AND” and “OR.” In addition, hospital charts were reviewed to add personal experience to the literature review.
Results
Overall, 52 articles, both single case reports and case series reporting cutaneous myiasis, were found in the medical literature of the past two decades. A total of 64 patients living in Europe were identified, of whom 36% had wound myiasis. In addition to the literature review, we report the case of a male patient who presented with myiasis within a deep scalp ulcer occurring after radiotherapy for basal cell carcinoma.
Conclusion
Myasis is rare and possibly under-reported in Europe. The epidemiology of this infestation may be changing in the future due to climate variability, a rise in travel to tropical areas, and the migration of fly species.
Correction:
In the publication of this article [1], there is an error in an authors name.The error: 'Estelle Hong How' Should instead read: 'Estelle How-Hong'This has now been included in this erratum.
