Ophthalmomyiasis caused by the reindeer warble fly larva
Article Abstract:
Myiasis refers to an infestation of a body part with insect larvae (the immature form of the insect); when the infestation occurs in the eyes, the condition is called ophthalmomyiasis. The insects that cause ophthalmomyiasis belong to a large family called Diptera (the two-winged flies and gnats) and are called warble flies because they get under the skin and cause a small bump (warble) to appear. Hypoderma tarandi is the scientific name of a type of warble fly commonly found on reindeer in northern Scandinavia. The adult female flies lay their eggs on the skin and hair of the animals, and larvae hatch within four to seven days. These penetrate the skin, where they continue to grow until the following spring when they fall to the ground and develop into mature flies. The case reports are presented of two boys from northern Norway who developed ophthalmomyiasis. In the first case, the boy's right eye was eventually surgically removed when other treatments did not prevent increasing pain and blindness. The remains of a warble fly larva were found on examination of the removed tissue. In the second case, a small tumor removed from the eye following investigation of pain and swelling of the eyelid contained a warble fly larva. The histological characteristics of the affected areas are described. Seven other cases of infestation with warble fly larvae (Hypoderma tarandi) have been reported in Norway and Sweden: six patients required eye surgery and fly larvae were extracted in five of these cases. In two cases (of a total of nine, including these case reports), blindness resulted. An apparent recent increase in the number of reported cases of ophthalmomyiasis, a rare disease (54 well-documented cases have been found of the form most commonly described in this survey), may be associated with the growth of the reindeer population in northern Norway. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Clinical Pathology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0021-9746
Year: 1991
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Senile lens exfoliation
Article Abstract:
A photo essay is presented concerning an 86-year-old man with senile lens exfoliation, a condition in which a thin layer of the lens of the eye appears to detach and float in the anterior chamber (in front of the pupil). The patient also had cataracts, which were removed. The abnormal membrane was evaluated histologically, and photographs of it are presented. Although a layer of the lens seems to be detached in such cases, this appearance is the result of the synthesis of a white, starch-like material by aging cells located at several places in the eye. The material collects on the lens, ultimately forming a sheet. True lens exfoliation, where the superficial layers of the lens actually split off, occurs in people chronically exposed to heat or infrared radiation; cases in glassblowers have been reported. Senile lens exfoliation can occur in people without such a history, most of whom are more than 80 years old. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1990
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Myiasis: maggot infestation
Article Abstract:
The three types of myiasis, or maggot infestation, are described. They are intestinal maggots, obligate maggots and facultative maggots. Facultative maggots infest wounds and were once used to clear necrotic tissues before the invention of antibiotics.
Publication Name: Nursing Times
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0954-7762
Year: 2003
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