Record of the First Cases of Human Myiasis by Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology Vol. 52; no. 6; pp. 1368 - 1373
• Main Authors: Azevedo, Wellington Thadeu De Alcantara, Figueiredo, Adriana Leal De, Carvalho, Rafaela Pereira De, Lemos, Gustavo Abrantes, Silva, Pôla Francine Cassiano Morais, Miranda, Taís Auricchio De, Lessa, Cláudia Soares Santos, Aguiar, Valéria Magalhães
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Entomological Society of America 01-11-2015; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Brazil; Diptera; disease occurrence; epidemiology; ergotism; Female; first report; heart failure; hospitals; Humans; hygiene; income; insect larvae; legs; Lucilia cuprina; Male; Middle Aged; myiasis; Myiasis - parasitology; nationalities and ethnic groups; patients; pediculosis; rain; risk factor; risk factors; screwworm; secondary myiasis; SHORT COMMUNICATIONS; summer; tissues; Brazil; epidemiology; screwworm; risk factor; first report; secondary myiasis
• DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjv130
• EISSN: 1938-2928
• ISSN: 0022-2585

Myiasis is a disease caused by an infestation of the tissues of vertebrates by developing fly larvae. We document the first cases of human myiasis by Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann, 1830) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, analyzed the epidemiological and clinical profiles of the patients, and their risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease. Between May 2008 to July 2013, six cases of myiasis caused by larvae of L. cuprina were reported in patients treated in the Federal Hospital of Andaraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The six patients ranged between 13 and 72 yr old, belonged to various ethnic groups, and both sexes were represented. The affected individuals were relatively uneducated, had low income and poor hygiene habits. Infections were more common in the legs. The following factors were found to predispose individuals to myiasis: trauma, pediculosis, erysipelas, skin infections, and wounds resulting from congestive heart failure. Myiasis by L. cuprina occurred predominantly in the summer when there is abundant rainfall.