Imported and locally acquired human myiasis in Canada: a report of two cases

Derek R. MacFadden; Brittany Waller; Gil Wizen; Andrea K. Boggild

doi:10.1503/cmaj.140660

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Human Myiasis: a personal encounter
Janet L Webb

Posted on: 07 April 2015
Cuterebra myiasis in Ontario
Michel J. Belliveau

Posted on: 03 October 2014

Posted on: (7 April 2015)

Human Myiasis: a personal encounter
Janet L Webb, Family physician
I read with some personal interest the article in the CMAJ March 3, 2015 (Vol 187(4)) "Imported and locally acquired human myiasis in Canada: a report of two cases". In 2008 I went on vacation with my husband (who happens to be an entomologist) to Belize. Having heard the stories of acquiring myiasis I was still in denial when I returned home to Canada with mosquito bites that seemed to be getting more itchy over the n...
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I read with some personal interest the article in the CMAJ March 3, 2015 (Vol 187(4)) "Imported and locally acquired human myiasis in Canada: a report of two cases". In 2008 I went on vacation with my husband (who happens to be an entomologist) to Belize. Having heard the stories of acquiring myiasis I was still in denial when I returned home to Canada with mosquito bites that seemed to be getting more itchy over the next few days. I had several bites that were on my neck, chest, thigh and buttock regions. Unfortunately I practice in a rural area and the other doctor was absent from the clinic for 2 weeks. Over the next week I started to develop large itchy welts around these bites with the occasional sharp pain that seemed to occur from time to time. My entomologist husband at first was in disbelief but finally got out his magnifying glass and confirmed that I did indeed have have the botfly larvae as souvenirs from Belize. The next problem was how to deal with these on my own as I was unable to access any outside help. Googling this came up with the bright solution of putting raw meat on the lesions but since there were a number of lesions this did not seem very practical. I then tried the vaseline trick to cover the spiracle (breathing tube) hoping that they would crawl out. However I found the vaseline melted with little effect on the larvae. Finally I decided to cover all the lesions with opsite and go to bed. This essentially resulted in suffocating the larvae and they then crawled out enough that I could reasonably easily extract the dead larvae the next morning. I still have the larvae in a vial after they were properly identified by my husband. i think this may make me the 53rd reported case of Myiasis in Canada.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Posted on: (3 October 2014)

Cuterebra myiasis in Ontario
Michel J. Belliveau, Oculoplastics Fellow
The Practice article by MacFadden and colleagues on cutaneous myiasis is excellent. This can be an elusive diagnosis and the two reported cases will be instructive to physicians who encounter similar patients.
We reported a case in 2011 of a 10-year-old boy who acquired Cuterebra myiasis of his upper eyelid following a camping trip in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Perhaps if our report had reached a broader physician a...
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The Practice article by MacFadden and colleagues on cutaneous myiasis is excellent. This can be an elusive diagnosis and the two reported cases will be instructive to physicians who encounter similar patients.
We reported a case in 2011 of a 10-year-old boy who acquired Cuterebra myiasis of his upper eyelid following a camping trip in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Perhaps if our report had reached a broader physician audience, the diagnosis may have been considered earlier in the case of treatment-resistant periorbital cellulitis ultimately assessed and diagnosed by the authors- although other possibilities were certainly more likely.
The value of 'The Case Report' is evident in this article. Overshadowed by meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials in our leading journals, the sharing of uncommon or unusual cases still has a role in advancing our knowledge and clinical care.
Reference
Grzyb MJ, Belliveau MJ, Kratky V. Persistent eyelid swelling in a child caused by Cuterebra myiasis. Can J Ophthalmol 2011; 46:553-4.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.