Maxillofacial myiasis in a malignant ulcer: Pouring oil on flame

Abstract

Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of tissue or organ of animals and human by dipterous larvae (maggots) which lay its eggs on necrotic tissue, open wounds, unbroken skin or mucosa and food. Although myiasis is primarily a disease of cattle and livestock in tropical and underdeveloped countries, human infestation is uncommon and oral myiasis is rarest, found only secondary to systemic illness. Treatment involves manual removal of the maggots with the help of hemostat using turpentine oil with systemic use of Ivermectin, a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic. We present a case of 77year-old female diagnosed with myiasis secondary to squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa, its treatment and review of literature. *Correspondence to: Neha Jain, Room No 101, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, People’s Dental Academy, Bhopal, India, Email: nehamds26@yahoo.in