An unusual nosocomial infection: nasotracheal myiasis

Abstract

A number of fly maggots were found emerging from the nose and tracheostomy site of an 82-year-old woman who had been in a coma for two months in an acute care hospital in a large Canadian city. This case history indicates that the infestation was hospital-acquired and although undoubtedly an extremely rare occurrence, at least in Canada, points out the risk of myiasis in the unconscious, debilitated patient.