Case Report
Aural Myiasis, a Rare Cause of Earache
Ibrahim Al Jabr
Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University,
P.O. Box 66678, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence should be addressed to Ibrahim Al Jabr; ibrahimkaj@gmail.com
Received 24 June 2015; Revised 7 August 2015; Accepted 9 August 2015
Academic Editor: Yorihisa Orita
Copyright © 2015 Ibrahim Al Jabr. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Myiasis of the ear is an infestation of the ear by maggots (the larval stage of lies). In the literature, there are only few cases reported
about aural myiasis. It is more common to occur in tropical regions, where humidity and warm weather provide a good environment
for this infestation. In this paper, a 12-year-old boy is reported to have unilateral earache for 3-day duration. Examination of the
painful ear showed a tympanic membrane perforation with larvae (maggots) in the middle ear. hey were removed by using a forceps
and gentle irrigation of ear to expel any remnant. Further management included assessment of hearing, computed tomography (CT)
scan, and outpatient follow-up.
1. Introduction
Myiasis is a common infestation among mammals. In
humans, it is seen more in rural areas where people are in
more direct contact with animals [1]. he disease occurs when
the female ly lays eggs, which shortly will cause clinical
manifestations that are related to the body site involved [2].
In the ield of otolaryngology, it may afect the ears, nose and
paranasal sinuses, nasopharynx, oral cavity, and skin of the
head and neck region. Risk factors for myiasis in humans are
chronic suppurative otitis media, low socioeconomic status,
swimming in stagnant water, and diabetes mellitus [3]. Other
possible predisposing factors include neglected children, old
age, mental retardation, and poor personal hygiene.
2. Case Report
A 12-year-old boy, previously healthy, presented to the emer-
gency department complaining of right earache for 3-day
duration. his ear pain started suddenly and the patient has
described it as being mild to moderate in severity. he patient
is complaining also of minor decrease in hearing and itching
in the ear canal. here was no history of purulent, bloody, or
clear ear discharge, tinnitus, vertigo, or facial weakness. here
was no history suggestive of intracranial involvement. Social
history showed that the patient lives in dessert with his family,
in a Bedouin culture.
General clinical examination, vital signs, and exami-
nation of nose, throat, let ear, head, and neck were all
within normal. Inspection of the right ear externally was
unremarkable; there is mild to moderate tenderness with
pressure over the tragus or by gentle movement of the auricle.
Examination by otoscope and microscope showed mild
edema and erythema of the external auditory canal, a clean
central perforation of the tympanic membrane of about 5 mm
(Figure 1), and 2 larvae in the middle ear, protruding through
the perforation. A crocodile forceps was used to remove these
2 larvae (Figure 2). Irrigation of the ear with sterile water
was done, ater which 4 more larvae which were in the attic
region and not visible showed up and came out to the external
auditory canal through the perforation and were removed.
Further carful inspection and irrigation were made but did
not show any more remnants. he removed larvae were
identiied by microbiologist to belong to the Sarcophagidae
family, genus Wohlfahrtia, and species Wohlfahrtia magniica.
It is also known as spotted lesh ly or Wohlfahrt’s wound
myiasis ly. he larvae are cylindrical in shape with lattened
ventral surface, 8 to 12 mm in length, white in color with
grayish tinge. Spines are separating the body segments of
the larvae. hey have the characteristic sarcophagid posterior
end, with the posterior spiracles set in a cavity.
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Case Reports in Otolaryngology
Volume 2015, Article ID 219529, 3 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/219529