Sunday 16 March 2014

Human Bot Fly Dermatobia hominis myiasis continued

This year my botfly larvae were not so simple to remove, particularly the one in my ankle, which caused enough swelling that my right foot no longer fit into a shoe. By Friday afternoon, after a failed attempt to expel it, I could no longer feel this larva moving about, and my ankle was becoming more swollen and discoloured. Fortunately, a kind doctor solved the problem by taking me to Norwich A&E today and surgically removing all the larvae. I was surprised to find that they were about half the size of those that I had successfully expelled in previous years, because they caused considerably more discomfort and inconvenience.

One of my 2nd instar Dermatobia hominis larvae. The breathing tube is on the left, mouthparts on the extreme right. Note the concentric rows of backward-pointing, decurved spines, which serve to anchor the larva in place.

3 comments:

  1. Pics of the other larvae?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The others were damaged in the removal process, something that is avoided if you are able to avoid surgery.

      Delete
  2. I might have this
    What is recommended medicine?
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete