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Indian Pediatr 2011;48: 907 |
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Cutaneous Myiasis |
*Edwin Dias and Meena Dias,
*Professor and Head, Department of Pediatrics, KVG
Medical College, Sullia, Karnataka, India.
Email: [email protected]
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This is in response to the publication on umbilical myiasis in newborn
[1]. We would like to share our experience with six cases of cutaneous
myiasis. Surgical removal with local anesthesia is the preferred approach.
Alternatively, one can use turpentine, liquid paraffin, petroleum jelly,
olive oil which creates anaerobic environment and makes the larvae come
out which can be removed using tweezers or forceps. We have used
turpentine successfully without any side effects using it for a short
duration of time. Similar experience is reported by Kumarasinghe, et al.
[2]. Occasionally the larva is asphyxiated without emerging. The retained
larva can cause an inflammatory response, leading to foreign body
granuloma formation (a clump of inflammatory tissues) that may progress to
calcification. This necessitates the immediate removal of the larva as
they emerge from the tissue. In case of furuncles, digital pressure on
both the sides of the lesion is sufficient to expel the larvae. If these
measures fail then one can use the surgical removal under anesthesia.
References
1. Ghosh T, Nayek K, Ghosh N, Ghosh MK.Umbilical
myiasis in newborn. Indian Pediatr. 2011;48:321-3.
2. Kumarasinghe SPW, Karunaweera ND, Ihalamulla RL.
Study of cutaneous myiasis in Sri Lanka. Int J Dermatol.
2000;39:689-94.
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