Myiasis in Dogs in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana Sherry A.M. Johnson, 1,2 Daniel W. Gakuya, 2 Paul G. Mbuthia, 3 John D. Mande, 2 Kofi Afakye, 1 and Ndichu Maingi 3 Abstract Myiasis is the infestation of tissues of live vertebrate animals and humans with dipterous larvae. In sub-Saharan Africa, Cordylobia anthropohaga and Cordylobia rodhaini are known to be responsible for cutaneous myiasis in animals and humans. Human cases of myiasis, purportedly acquired in Ghana but diagnosed in other countries, have been reported; however, published data on its occurrence in animals in Ghana is unavailable. This study assessed the prevalence of canine myiasis among owned dogs in the Greater Accra region (GAR) of Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, selected for being the region with the highest estimated population density of owned dogs. Physical examination and demographic characteristics of the study dogs were assessed. Management of the dogs was assessed through a questionnaire administered to the dog owners. A total of 392 owned dogs were sampled. Twenty-nine (7.4%) had cutaneous myiasis caused by C. rodhaini. In addition, one (0.2%) of the dogs had intestinal myiasis, with Dermatobia hominis as the offending larvae. Among the breeds of dogs with myiasis, the mongrel was most affected, with 24 (82.8%) out of the 29 cases. The mongrels, majority of which (24; 82.8%) were males, were left to roam freely in the community. Results from this study demonstrate that C. rodhaini and D. hominis are important causes of myiasis in owned dogs in the GAR of Ghana. Dogs could play a role in the spread of myiasis to humans, with its attendant public health implications. Key Words: Cordylobia rodhaini—Dermatobia hominis—Dogs—Ghana—Myiasis. Introduction M yiasis is the invasion of live or dead animal or human tissue by dipterous larvae ( Mathieu and Wilson 2000). Dipterous flies reported to cause furuncular myiasis in ani- mals and man include Dermatobia hominis, Cordylobia an- thropophaga, and Cuterebra species (Urquhart et al. 1996, Francescon and Lupi 2012). In Central and South America, D. hominis is documented as the cause of cutaneous myiasis (Francescon and Lupi 2012). In sub-Saharan Africa, C. anthropophaga and C. rodhaini are responsible for cutaneous myiasis in animals and man (Logar et al. 2006, Mcgraw and Turianski 2008). Al- though D. hominis is endemic in Central and South America, cases have been reported in other parts of the world (Ward 1976, Mandell et al. 2000). Rodents and antelopes are the main hosts of C. rodhaini (Pampiglione et al. 1991). Humans become infected when they come into contact with contam- inated soil or clothing (Veraldi et al. 2014). In the animal industry, flies causing myiasis are noted for economic losses including reduced milk production, weight loss, reduced hide quality, and infertility (Zumpt 1965). High temperature, relative humidity, rainfall in a region, and sus- ceptibility of the host are factors that determine the occur- rence of myiasis (Urquhart et al. 1996). Ghana has a tropical savanna climate with high temper- atures (average of 21°C to 32°C) and humidity (annual mean of 50–80%), according to the Ghana Meteorological Service (www.meteo.gov.gh). These are ideal climatic conditions for breeding and spread of flies that cause myiasis. Although myiasis has been widely reported in some African countries such as Nigeria (Ogo et al. 2009) and Sudan (Adam et al. 2006), published data on the occurrence of myiasis in ani- mals and humans in Ghana is scant. Human cases of C. rodhaini and C. anthropophaga among travelers have been reported, purportedly acquired in Ghana but diagnosed in Israel (Tamir et al. 2003) and Slovenia (Logar et al. 2006) respectively. Early on, Biggar et al. (1980) reported on 1 School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Basic and Applied Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. 2 Department of Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. 3 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology, and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES Volume 16, Number 1, 2016 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1811 54