Myiasis of the Tracheostomy Wound Caused by Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): Molecular Identification Based on the Mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase I Gene

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology Vol. 52; no. 6; pp. 1357 - 1360
• Main Authors: Severini, Francesco, Nocita, Emanuela, Tosini, Fabio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Entomological Society of America 01-11-2015; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; barcoding; Child; children; COI; cytochrome-c oxidase; DNA; genes; hosts; Humans; instars; internal transcribed spacers; ITS2; larvae; Male; mammals; muscular atrophy; myiasis; Myiasis - parasitology; patients; polymerase chain reaction; Sarcophaga argyrostoma; Sarcophaga ruficornis; Sarcophagidae; SHORT COMMUNICATIONS; Surgical Wound Infection - parasitology; Tracheostomy; ITS2; COI; tracheostomy; myiasis; Sarcophaga argyrostoma
• ISSN: 0022-2585; 1938-2928
• DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjv108

Wound myiasis is the infestation of open wounds of mammalian hosts caused by larvae of various species of flies. This kind of myiasis can be a serious problem for immobilized patients with open wounds. Here, we identify a dipteran larva found in the tracheostomy wound of a child affected by a severe spinal muscular atrophy. The collected larva was dissected and microscopically analyzed. DNA was extracted from part of the larva and used for the molecular identification. A 487 bp fragment, including part of 5.8 S, the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), and part of 28S, was amplified using a novel PCR assay to be cloned and sequenced. The barcode region of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) was also cloned and sequenced after PCR amplification. The larva, designated as SASI1, was identified as a third instar of Sarcophaga sp. The COI sequencing confirmed a low similarity with Sarcophaga ruficornis (F.) (95%), yet COI showed a 100% similarity with Sarcophaga argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) species. Therefore, SASI1 was identified as a S. argyrostoma larva on the basis of its COI barcode. This is one of the rare cases of myiasis of tracheostomy wound and the first caused by S. argyrostoma.