Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology

Abstract

Various case reports on nasal myiasis written during the 1990s and 2000s state that nasal myiasis, which is known as peenash among South Asian natives, is a form of divine punishment in Hindu mythology, but do not provide citations from Hindu scriptures that would suggest this interpretation. This paper aims to discuss the phenomenon of peenash in a historical context by examining medical literature written during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to identify Hindu texts contributing to the belief of some Hindus that nasal myiasis is a form of divine punishment, and to provide an overview of contemporary treatment for and management of nasal myiasis.

Human intraoral myiasis

“…Human myiasis is more common as a subcutaneous infestation, but can also occur in wounds and body cavities, including the head and neck region (Bosmia, Zimmermann, Griessenauer, Shane Tubbs, & Rosenthal, 2017;Filho, Dias, Miranda, & Hebling, 2018;Faridnia et al, 2019;Huang et al, 2020;Lazaro et al, 2020;Pires et al, 2018;Singh & Kaur, 2019; Uysal et al, 2018).…”

“…In the head and neck region, the most commonly involved sites are the ears, eyes, nose, paranasal sinus, lymph nodes, mastoid region, tracheostomy wounds and oral cavity (Batista et al, 2019;Bosmia et al, 2017;de Arruda et al, 2017;Duque & Ardila, 2011;Huang et al, 2020;Pires et al, 2018;Serafim, do Espírito Santo, de Mello, Collin, & Deps, 2020).…”

Myiasis of the Tracheostomy Wound: A Case Report with Review of Literature

“…Myiasis was considered, by Hindu mythology, as "God's punishment of sinners [1] According to the tropism of the tissue, dipterous larvae are divided into [2]: …”

Management of nasal myiasis and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A rare case and review article

“…Nasal myiasis is one type of cavitary myiasis, besides cerebral myiasis, aural myiasis, and ophthalmomyiasis [1] . It is an opportunistic parasitic infestation in humans as well as in animals caused by house fly larvae and commonly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world [2] , [3] . The risk factors for myiasis are open wounds, suppurative lesions, scabs, traumatic wounds, and ulcers contaminated with discharges and blood remnants.…”