Maggots eat up the body
Twenty-four-year-old Cindy was a soft bodied girl who looked like she never had a problem. But every after three days a friend squeezed maggots out of her body as she screamed in pain.
Twenty-four-year-old Cindy was a soft bodied girl who looked like she never had a problem. But every after three days a friend squeezed maggots out of her body as she screamed in pain.
The infestation Cindy had is myiasis. It is common in children and it is mainly associated with poverty. If not treated the condition can lead to the enlargement of the esophagus or colon.
The enlargement of the colon and oesophagus creates room for infection in these areas and in the worst conditions leads to death.
“Myiasis is the infestation of live human and vertebrate animals with flies which at least for a certain period, feed on the hosts’s dead or living tissue, liquid body substances or ingested foods,†says Dr. Herbert Turyagenda.
Myiasis is most common in livestock and less common in humans. However, myiasis in humans is caused by larvae of a fly called Cordylobia anthropophaga and dermatobia hominis.
Clinically, myiasis is characterised by the appearance of papule which enlarges until it becomes a nodule which is round and is inflammatory.
At the top of the module a 1-2mm diametre ulcer is present, it corresponds to the portion where the larva respires from. “If you squeeze the usually itchy swelling a maggot emerges,†says Dr. Donah Kabatesi.
“After squeezing the maggot out a fluid containing feaces of the larva oozes from the ulcer.â€
According to Kabatesi the people who normally get infested generally live in filthy environments, usually wet dirty bedding. She, however, emphasises that the bedding that are wetted by Urine are the environments sufficient to fuel the condition.
The infestation is common in rural homesteads. “Certain insects bite and lay their eggs in the skin which then hatch into maggots. The larva can be of insects such as the fly which like staying in grass thatched houses,†says Kabatesi.
When the larva has grown in the body there is a sensation of movement beneath the skin.
Turyagenda agrees with Kabatesi and adds that the larvae live inside the muscle and that is why it is very painful to remove the maggots.
The infestation is commonly found in tropical and subtropical countries and can be treated by an ointment called Mupirocin. It can also be treated with antibiotics and a vaccine.
Certain activities in the endemic areas will increase the risk of myiasis infestation. These activities include wearing dump clothes and resting in sandy areas.
“Myiasis is common in tourists who like visiting beaches and resting in the sand,†says Dr. Turyagenda.
The infestation Cindy had is myiasis. It is common in children and it is mainly associated with poverty. If not treated the condition can lead to the enlargement of the esophagus or colon.
The enlargement of the colon and oesophagus creates room for infection in these areas and in the worst conditions leads to death.
“Myiasis is the infestation of live human and vertebrate animals with flies which at least for a certain period, feed on the hosts’s dead or living tissue, liquid body substances or ingested foods,†says Dr. Herbert Turyagenda.
Myiasis is most common in livestock and less common in humans. However, myiasis in humans is caused by larvae of a fly called Cordylobia anthropophaga and dermatobia hominis.
Clinically, myiasis is characterised by the appearance of papule which enlarges until it becomes a nodule which is round and is inflammatory.
At the top of the module a 1-2mm diametre ulcer is present, it corresponds to the portion where the larva respires from. “If you squeeze the usually itchy swelling a maggot emerges,†says Dr. Donah Kabatesi.
“After squeezing the maggot out a fluid containing feaces of the larva oozes from the ulcer.â€
According to Kabatesi the people who normally get infested generally live in filthy environments, usually wet dirty bedding. She, however, emphasises that the bedding that are wetted by Urine are the environments sufficient to fuel the condition.
The infestation is common in rural homesteads. “Certain insects bite and lay their eggs in the skin which then hatch into maggots. The larva can be of insects such as the fly which like staying in grass thatched houses,†says Kabatesi.
When the larva has grown in the body there is a sensation of movement beneath the skin.
Turyagenda agrees with Kabatesi and adds that the larvae live inside the muscle and that is why it is very painful to remove the maggots.
The infestation is commonly found in tropical and subtropical countries and can be treated by an ointment called Mupirocin. It can also be treated with antibiotics and a vaccine.
Certain activities in the endemic areas will increase the risk of myiasis infestation. These activities include wearing dump clothes and resting in sandy areas.
“Myiasis is common in tourists who like visiting beaches and resting in the sand,†says Dr. Turyagenda.