A nasal myiasis in a 76-year-old female in Korea

Abstract

On July 2009, 5 fly larvae were discovered inside the nose of a 76-year-old female. She was living in Cheonan-si, and in a state of coma due to rupture of an aortic aneurysm. Surgery was performed on the day of admission, and the larvae were found 4 days later. By observing their posterior spiracle, the larvae were identified as Lucilia sericata. Considering the rapid development of this species, the infection was likely acquired during hospitalization. Further investigation on the hospital environment should be needed to know the origin of the infection.

Keywords: Lucilia sericata; fly larva; myiasis; nosocomial infection.

Fig. 1

The larvae of Lucilia sericata isolated from the patient's nose. One larva was omitted because it was used for sectional views. A scale is corresponded to 1 mm.

Fig. 2

Posterior spiracles of a third-tage larva of Lucilia sericata sampled in the nose of the patient. Bar = 100 µm.