Nasal myiasis or simply called maggots in the nose flies in the nose. It is one of the worst parasitic infections one can imagine in the nose. Atrophic Rhinitis is one of the causes of the attraction of flies.
Nasal- Nose
Myia- Fly
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Definition
Nasal myiasis or Maggots in the nose is a parasitic infestation in the nose of human beings.
The parasite continues to grow and multiply in the nose while simultaneously feeding on the surrounding tissues.
Causes
The Aetiology of Nasal myiasis is as follows:
- Maggots are the larval forms of flies. Commonly, flies are attracted to open wounds and foul-smelling discharge from cases such as Atrophic Rhinitis, syphilis, and leprosy.
- Upon attraction, the fly may lay around 200 eggs in one contact, which hatch into larvae within 24 hours.
- Species belonging to families Calliphoridae, Oestridae, and Sarcophagidae are important families.
- Chyrosomya bezziana, also known as Old World Fly, belonging to Calliphoridae, is the most particular to be attracted towards foul-smelling discharge from the nose as in Atrophic Rhinitis. Therefore, these little maggots in the nose can be more than just an itch.
Clinical Features
Patients with maggots in the nose present with the following signs and symptoms:-
First 3-4 days:
- Intense irritation, sneezing, lacrimation, and headache.
- Epistaxis- Blood-stained discharge
- Puffy lips and eyelids
After 3-4 days:
- Foul-smell
- Extensive destruction to nose, sinuses, soft tissue of eye, face, and palate.
- Fistula formation
- Meningitis may develop- death occurs
Treatment
Management for maggots in the nose can be done by:
- Chloroform water and oil to kill maggots
- Warm saline bath to remove killed maggots
- Manual removal of visible maggots