Medical Microbiology

Insects 617

Myiasis.Larvae(maggots)ofvariousflyspeciescanpenetrateandcolonize

theskin,skinlesions,andbodyorifices,therebycausingthetypeoftissue

damageknownasmyiasis.Therearevariousformsofmyiasis,themost

importantofwhicharesummarizedinTable 11. 4 .Casesofimportedmyiasis

andautochthonouswoundmyiasishaveincreasedincentralEuropeinrecent

years.Diagnosis:inspectionandidentificationofthelarvae.Therapy:me-

chanicalremovaloftheparasites,controlofsecondaryinfections,ifrequired

oraltherapywithivermectin(extralabeldruguse).

Themaggotsofcertainflyspecies(Luciliaspp.)raisedundersterilecon-

ditionsaresometimesusedfortreatingpatientswithnecrotizingornon-

healingdermallesions.Inmanycases,themaggotsareabletocleansuch

woundsinshortorder.

Table 11. 4 ImportantFormsofMyiasisinHumans

Formofmyiasis Typeofinfestation Infestingflies(genera,

selection)

Cutaneousmyiasis

&Furuncularmyiasis Larvaeformfocalskin

swellingswithcentral

smallhole

Dermatobia,Cordylobia,

Cuterebra

&“Creepingeruption” Larvaetunnelinepidermis

andinducefocalskin

swellings

Hypoderma,Gasterophilus

&Woundmyiasis Depositionofeggsorlarvae

inwounds

Sarcophaga,Calliphora,

Musca,Wohlfahrtia,Lucilia,

Cochliomyia

Otherforms

&Nasopharyngeal,

ocular,auricular,and

urogenitalmyiasis

Depositionofeggsorlarvae

innasalorifices,eyes,

auricularorifices,vulva,etc.

Sarcophaga,Calliphora,

Musca,Wohlfahrtia,Lucilia

11

Kayser, Medical Microbiology © 2005 Thieme