Pharyngeal Myiasis Caused by Sheep Botfly, Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae) Larva, Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province, Iran: a Case Report

Abstract

Myiasis is caused by the larvae of flies infesting animal or human tissues and organs. This report aims to present a case of pharyngeal myiasis caused by the larvae of Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae). A 55-yr old drug addict living in the Shahindeje village of Western Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran was referred to the Emam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, having a medical history of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and hospitalized due to respiratory distress, 20 days ago. He was intubated with a mechanical ventilator (MV) because of his respiratory distress condition. There was an evidence of the presence of pulmonary nodules in his lungs following diagnosis, and a CT scan revealed a cavity in his lung. During the nasogastric intubation procedure, a larva was seen emerging from the patient's mouth by one of the staff of the intensive care unit of the hospital. A laboratory diagnosis was performed in the Entomology Department of the School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Interestingly, larvae of O. ovis were identified and confirmed following the laboratory proceedings.

Keywords: Iran; Myiasis; Oestrus ovis; Pharyngeal myiasis.

Fig. 1.

The pair of sharply curved mouth hooks and stout spines of the larva of Oestrus ovis according to the laboratory diagnosis

Fig. 2.

Posterior spiracles in larvae of Oestrus ovis without 3 distinct slits and not divided into several plates