Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 20;2023(8):omac143.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omac143. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Breast myiasis in an elderly male patient: a case report

Affiliations
Case Reports

Breast myiasis in an elderly male patient: a case report

Natalia Sierra et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

Fly larvae cause myiasis. The most common of these are Cordylobia anthropophaga and Dermatobia hominis. Clinically, myiasis manifests as an erythematous papule that may become ulcerated and form furuncular lesions. In patients who have been in endemic areas, these larvae are to be suspected. Below, we present a 75-year-old male with a clinical picture of a palpable mass in the areola associated with the outflow of serohematic fluid through a central orifice. A breast intraductal lesion was suspected, so a breast ultrasound and biopsy were performed, which showed a structure compatible with myiasis. The diagnostic challenge was the high number of different diagnoses and the little knowledge of health professionals about tropical diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We do not have any conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Physical examination Central orifice of the lesion in the nipple.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Imaging studies A: Axial IV contrast-enhanced chest CT in a patient with palpable mass and pain in the right mammary region where a retroareolar mass with a tubular hypodense area inside and with striation of adjacent fatty tissue is observed. B: Longitudinal ultrasound section obtained with a 16-Mhz linear transducer in the area of palpable mass towards three o’clock, in the right areolar region. A hyperechogenic structure associated with a surrounding hypoechoic halo and posterior acoustic shadow is observed, which corresponds to the larva.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histopathological study A: Hematoxylin/eosin stain, original magnification 10X. B: Myiasis of the breast. Hematoxylin/eosin stain, original magnification 40X.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Surgical extraction of larvae A: Surgical resection of the larvae. B: Larvae.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Manual extraction of larva.

References

    1. Rodrigues FT, Klemig LR, Cardozo MRP, et al. Myiasis associated with an invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast: case study. Rev Inst Med trop S Paulo 2017;59:e35. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martínez-González MI, Heras-González S, Fatsini-Blanch V, et al. Miasis forunculoide, a propósito de un caso importado. SEMERGEN - Medicina de Familia 2017;43:528–9. - PubMed
    1. de Barros N, D’Avila MS, de Bauab SP, et al. Cutaneous myiasis of the breast: mammographic and US features—report of five cases. Radiology 2001;218:517–20. - PubMed
    1. Guerrero-Zulueta A. Miasis cutánea. Aten Fam 2016;23:34–5.
    1. Alkorta Gurrutxaga M, Beristain Rementeria X, Cilla Eguiluz G, et al. Miasis cutanea por cordylobia anthropophaga. Rev Esp Salud Publica 2001;75:00–0. - PubMed

Publication types