Abstract:Myiasis is a type of parasitosis caused by the larvae of diptera. It commonly occurs in tropical and subtropical zones. The infestation of nose and ears can be extremely dangerous if the larvae destroy the bone and penetrate into the brain, in which case the fatality rate is reported to be as high as 8%. Here, we report a case of aural myiasis in a patient with congenital mental retardation. Twelve maggots were removed mechanically, and the patient was treated with appropriate antibiotics.
“…It is not advisable to kill the maggots in the ear, as this will make them difficult to find, and any dead maggots remaining in the ear can cause a foreign body reaction. 14 Occlusion or asphyxiating therapy inform of turpentine, olive oil, petroleum jelly, povidone iodine solution, ether, 10% chloroform act as topical irritant and block the larvas respiratory sinuses, forcing these aerobic organism to come up to surface in search of oxygen. Turpentine or ether is not recommended in western literature as it could lead to complications such as anaphylaxis and sepsis.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The mortality rate is as high as 8% when myiasis of the ear and nose lead to infestation of the brain. 2 Early intervention is necessary to avoid complications like deafness or intracranial extension. 3 Diagnosis is mostly made by history and clinical examination.…”
Myiasis is infestation by fly larvae (diptera) in live vertebrates, including humans. Newborn period is very unusual for any infestation. In literature there are only a few cases reported of neonatal aural myiasis from India. We described a case of aural myiasis caused by the Sarcophagidae family in a 13 hours old newborn in this paper. Aural myiasis in a newborn can be dangerous because of the fatality risk due to penetration to the brain.
“…It is not advisable to kill the maggots in the ear, as this will make them difficult to find, and any dead maggots remaining in the ear can cause a foreign body reaction. 14 Occlusion or asphyxiating therapy inform of turpentine, olive oil, petroleum jelly, povidone iodine solution, ether, 10% chloroform act as topical irritant and block the larvas respiratory sinuses, forcing these aerobic organism to come up to surface in search of oxygen. Turpentine or ether is not recommended in western literature as it could lead to complications such as anaphylaxis and sepsis.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The mortality rate is as high as 8% when myiasis of the ear and nose lead to infestation of the brain. 2 Early intervention is necessary to avoid complications like deafness or intracranial extension. 3 Diagnosis is mostly made by history and clinical examination.…”
Myiasis is infestation by fly larvae (diptera) in live vertebrates, including humans. Newborn period is very unusual for any infestation. In literature there are only a few cases reported of neonatal aural myiasis from India. We described a case of aural myiasis caused by the Sarcophagidae family in a 13 hours old newborn in this paper. Aural myiasis in a newborn can be dangerous because of the fatality risk due to penetration to the brain.
“…Patients with chronic infestation extending into the mastoid require surgical intervention. 26 Figure 2.Roman copper alloy ear scoop (scale represents millimetres). Reproduced with permission of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.…”
Section: Celsus’ Medical Tradition In the Westmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Patients with chronic infestation extending into the mastoid require surgical intervention. 26 Maggot infestation of the ear is a medical problem with importance in the ancient world that earned it a prominent place in Celsus' description of ear disease. While its prevalence has likely waned over the past two millennia, with fewer people living in close contact with livestock, aural myiasis remains a rare but dangerous affliction of the ear.…”
Section: Celsus' Medical Tradition In the Westmentioning
Objective
Although today there is extensive scientific literature on aural myiasis, a historical study of the subject has yet to appear. This short article reports the first description of aural myiasis in the Western medical literature.
Methods
Methods involved: (1) scholarship review of ear diseases within Ancient Greek and Roman medical texts (L'Année philologique); (2) linguistic analysis for text identification through the Library of Latin Texts, the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae and the Loeb Classical Library; and (3) translation of the Latin texts that described cases of aural myiasis with commentary.
Results
To our knowledge, the earliest case of aural myiasis in Latin medical literature is reported by the Roman encyclopaedist Celsus (first century CE). In his De Medicina, he describes cases of Wohlfahrtia magnifica maggot infestation of the ear and how to treat affected patients.
Conclusion
Despite present advances in otology, we believe that much insight can still be gained from this ancient example of medical history in ear diseases. A more comparative analysis of the subject is to be considered in the future, which will provide more data from different cultures and times.
“…Although myiasis is a self‐limiting disease, it can be associated with fatal complications. The mortality rate of otomyiasis combined with nasal myiasis is about 8% 5 . The extension of infestation depends on the fly species, environment, and the immune response of the host.…”
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