Scanning electron microscopy of sarcophagid (Diptera) larvae recovered from a case of human cutaneous myiasis

Abstract

Scanning electron microscope observations were made on second instars of unindentified sarcophagid maggots recovered from the foot of a 2-mo-old child. The child had a 3-d history of irritation and swelling of the left foot, and larvae were present in the skin on the plantar surfaces. The lesions were not furuncular, but erythema and a serous exudate were evident and swelling of the infested toes was noted. Larvae were removed manually from the lesions and fixed in formalin. External features, examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were typical for muscomorph larvae and shared features common to other sarcophagids. Details of the cephalic, thoracic, and terminal abdominal sensory structures and variation in the structure of spines from various body regions are described. Comparisons of SEM observations on the cephalic, thoracic, and posterior abdominal regions with other published information did not yield information that allowed the accurate identification of the larvae from this infestation.