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A 2012 Review Says The Boil Like Lump Of Myiasis Almost Always Heals

Sometimes Darkened Skin Or A Scar Is Left Behind

Severe Scarring Is More Common In Malnourished Children

The Most Reported Complication Of Those Lumps Is A Bacterial Infection

Swollen Nearby Lymph Nodes Or Body Wide Symptoms Suggest It

Staph And Strep Bacteria Have Been Found In Some Lesions

Cattle Botflies Can Also Infest People

Those Infections Usually Clear On Their Own

The Larva Most Often Dies Beneath The Skin

Larvae Can Also Infest The Ear

There They Can Cause Pain Discharge Bleeding And Hearing Loss

Itching Ringing In The Ears And Dizziness Are Also Reported

The Eardrum Can Be Perforated

Still Most Ear Patients Have An Uncomplicated Treatment Course

Early Treatment Is Key To Avoiding Damage Nearby

On The Eye Surface A Larva Can Cause Redness And Swollen Lids

Not Every Larva In A Wound Does Harm

Some Flies That Are Not Strict Parasites May Help Treat Infection

They Can Clean Dead Tissue And Make Substances That Kill Bacteria

Even So Tissue Destruction And Deep Invasion Can Happen

The Risk Is Greater With Flies That Must Develop In A Living Host

Screwworms Are True Parasites Of Living Mammals

Their Wound Myiasis Is Typically Very Painful

These Infestations Involve 100 To 500 Eggs

The Females Often Lay Them On Or Near A Wound

Once Hatched The Larvae Destroy Tissue And Cause A Bloody Discharge

The Area Swells And Pockets Can Be Eaten Out Beneath The Skin

Larvae Leaving The Dead Tissue Invade And Destroy The Area Nearby

Older Larvae Are Often More Invasive

The Result Is Significant Local Pain And Infection

Cavities Form So Removing Every Larva In One Session Is Difficult

Needing Several Sessions Delays Care And Raises The Danger

Fever Chills Bleeding And Fistulas Can Also Occur

An Infested Person May Die From The Tissue Destruction

Myiasis In The Nose Can Ulcerate The Back Of The Throat

The Nasal Septum And The Palate Can Be Perforated

In Extreme Cases Larvae Can Penetrate The Central Nervous System

One Cited Source Puts The Nasal Death Rate At Up To 1.19%

Ear Myiasis Can Also Destroy The Mastoid Cavity Behind The Ear

Deafness And Meningitis Have Been Reported

A Second Source Puts The Ear And Nose Death Rate At Up To 8%

In The Eye A Larva Under The Retina Can Lead To Blindness

The Cattle Botfly Larva Does Not Always Die In The Skin

Sometimes It Migrates Far And Can Invade The Nervous System Eye Or Ear

Blindness Paralysis And Death Are Possible

Myiasis Of The Brain Is Exceptionally Rare

The 2012 Review Counts Nine Confirmed Cases

Two More Were Suspected From Symptoms And Scans

The Outcome Is Usually Fatal

Two Patients In The Review Survived

One Cattle Botfly Species Caused Three Of The Cases

A Single Case Came From The Human Botfly

Seven Of The Nine Involved The Frontal Lobes

Seizures And Raised Pressure Inside The Skull Were Reported

A Botfly Larva Once Entered The Brain Of A Very Young Child

It Went Through Skull Bone That Had Not Yet Hardened

The Child Died

In One Head Injury Case Maggots May Have Helped Instead

They May Have Blocked Bacteria That Cause Brain Infections

That Might Have Saved The Patient

A Late Diagnosis Is Another Danger

In Leprosy Patients Nerve And Eye Damage May Delay Diagnosis

That Delay Raises The Chance Of Complications And Even Death

Cattle Can Die From Screwworm Myiasis Too

Screwworm Myiasis Is More Common In Newborn Calves Than In Adults

Untreated Calves And Adult Cattle Usually Die Within 7 To 10 Days