Human myiasis

Myiasis is a parasitic infestation of mammalian tissues or body cavities by dipteran larvae. It is distributed worldwide but rarely observed in Tunisia. The aim of our work was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and biological characteristics of new cases of human myiasis in Tunisia. Our study is retrospective descriptive, collating four Tunisian cases of myiasis (2018-2022). Diagnosis was made by macroscopic and microscopic study according to Zumpt’s criteria. The mean age was 45 years with a sex ratio equal to 1. Travel was not reported in any of our patients. The first two cases were Oestrus ovis nasal myiasis. The third case was a diabetic foot wound myiasis. The larvae identified were Lucilia sericata. The last case was a nosocomial myiasis in the anus of a patient in intensive care. The species identified was Musca domestica. Despite the rarity of cases in Tunisia, positive diagnosis should not be overlooked, especially in at-risk patients with or without travel experience in tropical or subtropical zones.