This study was carried out between July 2007 and June 2008 and reports on the occurrence of human myiasis caused by the New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in São Gonçalo in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Liquid or solid vaseline was used to suffocate the larvae, which were then preserved in 70% ethanol and sent to the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz for identification. C. hominivorax were identified in all 22 cases of myiasis. There were 12 male and 10 female patients with ages ranging from 03 to 71. Ethnically the highest incidence was among black people, with 17 cases. Open wounds were the main cause of the parasitosis, whereas poor personal hygiene, the low educational level, alcoholism, bedridden patients, and physical or mental disability were possibly secondary factors; in addition to all these factors the income of the patients was very low.

Myiasis is the infestation of living vertebrates by fly larvae that feed for at least part of their development on the host's dead or living tissues, body substances, or ingested food. The occurrences of traumatic myiasis in humans and animals in urban and rural environments represent serious economic and public health concerns. This study reports a 49-year-old tracheostomized man undergoing chemotherapy treatment who was parasitized in the hospital in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by larvae of the screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the thoracic cavity.

Este estudo foi realizado entre abril e setembro de 2008 e relata a ocorrência de miíases humanas causadas por Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) em São Gonçalo no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Para a coleta das larvas, foi utilizada vaselina líquida ou sólida para sufocar as larvas, que foram então preservadas em etanol 70% e enviadas para o Instituto Oswaldo Cruz para identificação. As larvas provenientes de três pacientes parasitados, um homem e duas mulheres negros com idade entre 36 a 76 anos, foram identificadas como pertencentes a espécie C. hominivorax. Ferida aberta foi a principal causa da parasitose, e ainda higiene pessoal precária, baixo nível educacional, alcoolismo e paciente acamado foram possivelmente os fatores secundários. Human Myiasis Caused by Larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in São Gonçalo, RJ, Brazil: Socio-Economic Approach Abstract. This study was carried out between April and September 2008 and reports on the occurrence of human myiasis caused by the New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in São Gonçalo in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Liquid or solid vaseline was used to suffocate the larvae, which were then preserved in 70% ethanol and sent to the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz for identification. There were 01 male and 02 females black patients with ages ranging from 36 to 76 and C. hominivorax were identified in all 03 cases of myiasis. Open wounds were the main cause of the parasitosis, whereas poor personal hygiene, the low educational level, alcoholism, bedridden patients were possibly secondary factors.