Cutaneous myiasis caused by Dermatobia hominis in Thai travelers: first report in Thailand

Background: Myiasis is the infestation with fly larvae in live vertebrate hosts. The disease has not been reported in Thailand.

Method and Results: We report the first case series of cutaneous myiasis caused by Dermatobia hominis in two Thai travelers who visited Brazil. Two of five travelers were infested with D. hominis larvae. Both presented with furuncular lesions. Surgical excision was performed for both patients and the larvae were removed. They were identified as second stage of D. hominis. Sequence data of both mitochondrial and nuclear genes of the larva were similar to previous reports from Brazil.

Conclusion: With increasing travel into endemic countries of D. hominis, physician should be aware of this parasitic infestation.