Disease caused by fly larvae 4 letters. How dangerous are myiases for humans? Diseases carried by flies

Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, with timely treatment, these diseases quickly regress and pass without complications for the patient.

In the vast majority of cases (about 90%), flies of the following groups become pathogens in humans:

  1. family calliphoridae ( lat. calliphoridae).
  2. Superfamily Oestroidea, predominantly the family of gadflies ( lat. Gasterophilidae).
  3. Family of gray blowflies ( lat. Sarcophagidae).

In more rare cases, the causative agents of myiasis in humans are flies of the following groups:

  • family of grasshoppers (lat. Anisopodidae);
  • family of cheese flies (lat. Piophilidae);
  • the family of lions (lat. Stratiomyidae);
  • hoverfly family (lat. Syrphidae).

Methods of human infection

Female flies lay eggs in large numbers in the eyes, ears, nose and wound openings of a person. Direct subcutaneous injection of egg clutch is also possible, and in rare cases, visceral infection by accidental ingestion of fly larvae is possible.

The method of infection depends on the type of flies. Namely:

  • flies of the genus Gasterophilus, Hypoderma, Dermatobia and Cordylobia inject eggs subcutaneously;
  • infection with eggs of the Fannia genus is possible through the gastrointestinal tract or urinary system;
  • flies of the genus Phonnia and Wohlfahrtia lay their eggs in open wounds and ulcerative lesions;
  • flies of the genus Oestrus lay their eggs in the eyes;
  • flies of the genus Cochliomyia enter the nasal passages and lay their eggs there.

Also, fly larvae can enter the human body with soil, through mosquito bites, from bed linen, and so on.

This is possible in the presence of larvae on food, linen or in the soil. The gastrointestinal tract (intestinal myiasis) and the genitourinary system (urogenital myiasis with urethral involvement) are most commonly affected. In casuistic cases, larvae may enter the brain or heart.

The most dangerous in this regard is intestinal myiasis, which in some cases can result in the death of the patient.

Types by affected organs

There are several types of myiasis, differing from each other in localization. So it is possible that the following organs of humans and animals can be affected by myiasis:

  1. Skin and subcutaneous tissue (subcutaneous type).
  2. Genitourinary system (genitourinary or urinary type).
  3. Gastrointestinal system (intestinal type).
  4. Nasal cavity (nasal or nasal type).
  5. Ears (ear type or otomiasis).
  6. Eyes (ocular type or ophthalmomyiasis).

In addition, fly larvae can damage the internal structure of the eye so much that surgery to remove it (enucleation) may be required.

intestinal myiasis

This is one of the most severe types of myiasis, leading to a whole range of disorders of the gastrointestinal system. Intestinal myiasis can cause about 50 different types of flies, including common houseflies.

Symptoms of intestinal myiasis:

  • nausea and vomiting;
  • severe pain in the abdomen;
  • the presence of blood in vomit and feces.

This form of the disease is dangerous due to the formation of numerous ulcers and perforations along the intestine, which often leads to the death of the patient.

With this type of disease, the fly larva settles in the urethra, clogging it and leading to local inflammation and sometimes allergic reactions. In this case, the patient experiences pain in the urethra, often very strong ("dagger").

Symptoms of urogenital myiasis:

  • pain in the urethra;
  • urinary retention;
  • burning and feeling of heaviness in the urethra.

The prognosis for this type of disease is favorable, the risk of serious complications is minimal.

Treatment: washing the urethra with saline to remove fly larvae from it.

Skin myiasis

With this type of disease, both the surface layer of the skin (epidermis) and the connective tissue layers are affected. Often the disease proceeds as a boil, differing only in migration from one area on the body to another.

Symptoms of cutaneous (subcutaneous) myiasis:

  • the appearance of a moving subcutaneous swelling;
  • itching and burning in the area of ​​swelling;
  • the occurrence at the site of swelling of the ulcer;
  • allergic reaction in the area of ​​swelling.

With timely treatment, the prognosis is favorable, but in its absence, severe and deep ulcers, as well as severe allergic reactions, may occur.

Treatment: surgical removal of the larvae from the skin, followed by treatment of the wound with antiseptics.

Eye myiasis (ophthalmomyiasis)

Symptoms of ocular myiasis (ophthalmomyiasis):

  • pain in the eyeball;
  • visual disturbances (its decrease in the affected eye, the appearance of flies, double vision);
  • lacrimation, redness of the affected eye.

An extremely dangerous form of the disease, often leading to loss of vision or even death.

A relatively rare form of the disease, usually found in people without a fixed place of residence or in animals.

Symptoms of nasal (nasal) myiasis:

  • pain (including bursting) in the nasal passage;
  • copious secretion of nasal mucus;
  • sneezing
  • redness of the skin of the nose.

Due to its proximity to the eyes and brain, this form of the disease is considered dangerous, so treatment should be started immediately.

Infection with ear myiasis in the vast majority of cases occurs with the passive participation of a person, usually in a dream. Drug therapy and washing with this form of the disease are meaningless, the only method of treatment is surgery.

Symptoms of ear myiasis (otomias):

  • bursting pain in the ear canal;
  • congestion of the affected ear, hearing loss;
  • inflammation of the affected ear (normal touching causes pain).

This form of the disease is dangerous because the larvae can drill passages from the affected ear to the brain, which can result in meningitis, thrombosis of the venous sinuses and, accordingly, the death of the patient.

Myiasis refers to all diseases caused by the larvae of many species of flies. Simply put, myiasis is a general term that includes many diseases. But what specific diseases are caused by fly larvae?

Fly larvae lead to the development of the following human and animal diseases:

  1. Wolfarthiosis. The causative agent is the larva of the Wolfart fly. The disease affects humans and animals, leading to unbearable pain, tissue necrosis and often death.
  2. Gastrophilia. The causative agent is the larva of the gadfly Gastrophilus equi. The disease affects mammals (including humans), leading to extensive damage to various organs.
  3. Hypodermatosis. The causative agent is the larvae of the gadflies Hypoderma bovis and Hypoderma lineatum. The disease affects humans and cattle, leading to the formation of ulcerative diseases of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
  4. Dermatobiasis. The causative agent is the larva of the gadfly Dermatobia hominis. The disease affects humans and animals, leading to the development of local inflammation and abscesses.
  5. Cordylobiosis. The causative agent is the larva of the fly Cordylobia anthropophaga. The disease affects animals and humans, leading to the development of abscess nodes, ulcers and boils (especially in children).

Myiasis treatment

In the vast majority of cases, myiasis is treated with the help of medications aimed at destroying the larvae, reducing inflammation and destroying the secondary infection. For these purposes, such means as "Mebendazole", "Penicillin", "Difezil" and so on are used.

Surgical intervention is also very effective, in which fly larvae and necrotic (literally dead) body tissues are removed from the affected organs. In addition, during surgical intervention, purulent masses are drained from the site of introduction of the larvae.

Surgical treatment is used both as an analogue of drug treatment, if the use of the second is meaningless or difficult, and as a primary treatment to achieve a rapid subsidence of inflammatory and allergic phenomena.

For reference! When the larva passes to the next stage, it no longer poses any danger to humans.

Infection with cutaneous myiasis can occur in several ways:

Oral (dental) myiasis is diagnosed less frequently than cutaneous myiasis, but it can also cause problems for a person. The larva, along with food, enters the oral cavity. The disease is accompanied by symptoms such as:

  • constant itching in the mouth;
  • swelling of the gums;
  • nasal congestion;
  • long-lasting cough;
  • general malaise;
  • increased body temperature;
  • fever;
  • gum bleeding.

The disease is oral, caused by the larvae of the wolfarth fly. The risk group includes patients who do not follow the rules of personal hygiene, for example, do not brush their teeth at least once a day. Also, the disease can overtake people with purulent wounds in the oral cavity, alcoholics, the elderly.

Intestinal myiasis is diagnosed when the larva first enters the oral cavity, then moves into the gastrointestinal tract. When the intestine becomes infected, the patient feels severe pain in the abdomen.

Intracerebral infection is extremely rare. The symptoms of this disease are slightly different from the usual disease. The patient is worried about convulsive conditions, high body temperature, back pain, the appearance of boils.

Important! To cure intracerebral myiasis, surgery is necessary. The surgeon will mechanically remove all the larvae.

How to diagnose an infection?

Diagnostic measures are based on the detection of fly larvae in wound discharge, urine, vaginal swab, or vomit. It is extremely important to ensure that the material for analysis is selected in compliance with sanitary standards.

The doctor establishes the diagnosis of cutaneous myiasis after a thorough examination of the affected area with a magnifying glass and good lighting. These devices allow you to detect the movement of larvae inside the wound. To confirm the diagnosis of otomiasis, you will need to consult an otolaryngologist, and an ophthalmologist detects eye pathology.

As an additional treatment, folk recipes are used.

  1. For effective treatment, sulfur and birch tar are required. Take 4 large spoons of tar liquid and mix with 6 grams of sulfur and 3 vaseline. Ready homemade ointment must be used for skin infection.
  2. You can make healing tea from currants and fennel. Such a drink is useful to drink with intestinal myiasis. You can also add cumin and cinnamon as seasonings to the dish. Take garlic and onions regularly as a preventive measure.
  3. With intestinal infection, they drink an infusion of celandine. For cooking, you need a large spoonful of chopped herbs. It should be poured with a glass of boiling water. The finished product is drunk in the morning and afternoon before meals.

Preventive measures

  1. To prevent such types of diseases, it is important to comply with sanitary and hygienic requirements. And keep the food clean.
  2. If you have pets in your house, it is important to monitor their health and treat wounds in time.
  3. If a person has open wounds on the body, then the dressings should be changed regularly.
  4. It is better to clean the room with disinfectants.

Timely measures will positively affect the cure of the disease. But it is better to take care of your health in advance!

Flies are the most annoying and ubiquitous insects. They easily penetrate dwellings, where they crawl all over the place. The paws of the flies end in claws and sticky pads, thanks to which they easily move along the walls and ceiling. The saliva of flies contains enzymes that liquefy solid food. Flies feed on almost everything that humans eat, as well as decaying organic debris.

In addition to being terribly annoying with their presence and buzzing, flies also carry a large number of dangerous diseases, including intestinal diseases and worm eggs. It is the flies that cause the development of 3 to 5 epidemics of infectious diseases per year only in Russia.

A person can get an infection after eating contaminated food on which the flies were sitting. After infection, the work of the liver and gastrointestinal tract may be disrupted, constipation and high fever may appear.

Flies are carriers of infections.

The group of infectious diseases includes diseases that are caused by the ingestion of pathogenic bacteria that cause poisoning of the body by exotoxins secreted by bacteria. Many diseases have an incubation period ranging from a few hours to several years.

Imagine that a fly can carry about 6 million bacteria on its body and about 28 million more in the middle of itself. In addition, the flies carry fecal particles on them, which they leave on food when they land on them.

A fly lays about 500 eggs during its lifetime, and almost all of them survive. The larva turns into an adult fly within a month. This leads to the fact that in just 3 months one fly can form a millionth population.

A favorite place for fly larvae is cheese, lard, ham and salted fish. The larvae that have settled on food enter the human intestine, where they continue their vital activity and cause various infectious diseases.

Diseases carried by flies:

1. Dysentery - This is an infectious disease that is characterized by general intoxication and damage to the gastrointestinal tract, most often the colon.

2. Typhoid fever - acute intestinal infection. Its causative agent is the Salmonella bacterium, which causes fever, intoxication, skin rashes, and damage to the lymphatic system of the small intestine.

3. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection in which the small intestine is affected and there are signs of vomiting, watery diarrhea, rapid fluid loss leading to severe dehydration, which can lead to hypovolemic shock and death.

4. Diphtheria - a disease characterized by general intoxication of the body, damage to the nervous, cardiovascular and excretory systems.

5. Tuberculosis - infection. It is caused by various types of microbacteria that affect the lung tissue and affect other systems and organs.

6. Anthrax - a very dangerous infectious disease that develops very quickly and is characterized by serous-hemorrhagic inflammation of the skin, internal organs and lymph nodes.

7 Polio - an acute infectious disease. Its danger is that it affects the spinal cord and causes pathology of the nervous system.

In addition to these flies, there are fly gadfly, which can lay larvae in the human body under the skin. Once in the human body, the larva penetrates into the middle of the tissues and affects the bones, which leads to inflammation of the tissues and bleeding.

legendary tsetse fly can cause a person to develop sleeping sickness in a person, as a result of which a person develops a fever, swells the cervical lymph nodes, edema of the extremities and drowsiness appear.

Prevention of infections carried by flies:

  • protect door and window openings with small nets;
  • keep the kitchen and toilet clean;
  • do not leave food available for flies;
  • close the bin so as not to attract flies;
  • hang sticky tape to kill flies;
  • from folk advice, he advises to use this: keep bouquets with tansy, fir, basil, tomato in the house.

Horror in Thailand! The larva of the fly climbed into the ear:

The disease begins to develop after the larvae of certain types of flies and some other insects are introduced into the human and animal body. So, an adult lays eggs under the skin, in the eyes, ears, nose or open wounds. In rare cases, the lesion begins after swallowing the fly. For larvae, the subcutaneous environment is fertile, in which they actively develop and grow, feeding on the tissues of the host. The development of myiasis is quite fast, and if left untreated, the disease can lead to disability and even death.

Basically, the carrier is the tumbu fly - as a rule, it lays larvae only under the skin

Insect larvae have a unique adaptability. They tolerate exposure to many mild acids, alcohol, alkali and formalin.

It is because of this that some individuals are able to live quietly for several months in the human stomach.

Types of myiasis

An insect can lay eggs in various places. Depending on the localization on the body, myiasis is usually divided into several groups.

subcutaneous myiasis

The causative agents of surface myiasis are the larvae of meat, carrion, cheese, house flies

Skin myiasis in humans in the early stages is the easiest to cure. In addition, ulcers and severe scarring can be avoided.

Intestinal

Infection with the intestinal form is always accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe pain in the abdomen. At advanced stages, internal bleeding occurs, associated with the movements of the larvae in the body cavity.

Urogenital

With this form, the lesion occurs in the human reproductive system. In the early stages, the process of suppuration always occurs due to the penetration of larvae into the body. In addition, there is always a strong itching, urinary retention. In the genitourinary form, there is a high risk of myiasis becoming malignant, in which soft tissue cells are destroyed.

Infection in this case always occurs through linen. Therefore, simple prevention and hygiene is the best way to avoid illness.

Ophthalmic (ophthalmomyiasis)

Surgical removal of the larva, one of the most difficult forms for humans

Nasal or nasal

Myases in the oral cavity

Ear (otomiasis)

This species is characterized by the location of fly larvae in the ear canal and on the surface of the shell. Infection occurs in a dream both actively and through contaminated linen. Otomiasis is dangerous with complications - larvae are ways to make moves from the ear to the human brain, which significantly reduces hearing, and can also lead to meningitis. With this form, surgery is necessary to remove absolutely all the larvae.

The laying of fly eggs in the ear is very dangerous - the larvae are ways to make moves from the ear to the human brain

List of diseases

  • Hypodermatosis. Pathogens - eggs of some species of gadflies. Most often, the disease affects people living in rural areas and livestock;
  • Cordylobiosis. The defeat is caused by flies of the species Cordylobia anthropophaga. In the initial stages, myiasis looks like a boil or small ulcers;
  • Wolfarthiosis. This is the damage to body tissues by the larvae of the Wolfart fly. Eggs are localized most often on the skin and mucous membranes, which often leads to necrosis;
  • Gastrophilia. Infection occurs with the larvae of the gadfly of the species Gastrophilus equi. The disease is localized mainly in the internal organs. Fatalities have been reported in the medical literature.

Diagnosis and treatment

After identifying and analyzing the larvae, complex treatment is prescribed.

  • Surgical treatment is prescribed in almost all cases. This is necessary in order to completely remove eggs and insect larvae from the body;
  • The affected area is treated with an antiseptic solution for a long time to eliminate inflammatory processes;
  • After removing the larvae and treating the wound, a bandage with a restorative solution is applied to the infected area. If the internal organs are affected, then all the necessary doctor's prescriptions are observed;
  • In addition, a course of strong antibiotics is needed to eliminate inflammatory processes and avoid complications.

Only timely treatment will help to avoid the consequences of myiasis, because insect eggs develop very quickly, over time affecting an increasing area and causing significant harm to the body.