Myiasis is the infestation of humans with dipterous larvae. Traditionally,
myiasis was thought to affect individuals living in tropical regions, however, several cases in temperate zones have been reported. We encountered two patients with histories of
malignancies that presented with complaints of
myiasis, in Chicago, in the spring and summer of 2016. The first patient, a 54-year-old female with a history of
breast cancer, presented with complaints of maggots infesting her postsurgical chest
wounds. She was diagnosed with
sepsis,
cellulitis, and
wound myiasis. The second patient, a 63-year-old female with a history of recurrent
ovarian cancer, presented with complaints of passing maggots vaginally and seeing worms mixed with her stools. She was diagnosed with internal urogenital
myiasis. The first lesson that we learned from these cases is that
myiasis can occur in individuals living in any part of the world. Second of all, for patients with accidental
myiasis, a sample of the larvae should be sent for analysis to help guide the treatment. Third of all,
myiasis has been associated with new or recurrent
malignancies, and therefore a biopsy of the affected tissue should be sent for analysis. Finally, we learned that
myiasis can serve as a form of tissue
debridement; this coinciding benefit should not prevent the treatment of accidental
myiasis.