Dermatobia hominis myiasis masquerading as an infected sebaceous cyst

Abstract

In an apparently routine case, what appeared to be infected sebaceous cysts of the scalp turned out to harbour botfly larvae imported from a tropical country. Although the parasite Dermatobia hominis is not indigenous to the United States, cutaneous myiasis caused by the fly is fairly common in Central and South America, and several cases have been reported in people returning or emigrating from these regions. The authors therefore suggest that infection resulting from D. hominis invasion be considered in persons who present with furuncular lesions and give a history of travel to endemic areas.