Alarm carnivorous flies in Costa Rica. A 19 year old girl And dead because of infections caused by larvae of this species, which lays its eggs inside the open wounds of any mammal species. This is the seventh case of human infestation recorded in the Central American country, all the others have recovered.
Carnivorous flies, dead girl in Costa Rica
A 19 year old girl she died after being infected by a species of flies (Cochliomyia hominivorax), also known as carnivorous flies or New World worms, as they originate from North and South America.
As reported by the Costa Rican newspaper The Tico Timesthe young woman died on Wednesday 19 June in the province of Guanacaste, in the north-east of the country.
The parasitic disease would have caused his death.”screwworm myiasis“, caused by larvae of carnivorous flies. The 19-year-old had one lesion in the mouthto where the fly larvae were detected, but was also affected by a number of chronic pathologies which compromised his recovery.
Alarm in Costa Rica
It’s about the first victim of this registered infection in Costa Rica. Last April the Central American country declared it state of emergency due to the massive presence of carnivorous flies.
They have since been reported seven cases of human infestation: the patients have all recovered, with the exception of the 19-year-old.
In 2000, Costa Rica declared that it had definitively eliminated the carnivorous fly from the country, but the insect then reappeared in the following years.
What are carnivorous flies
First reported in 1858 in Guyana, the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax is found in Central American countries, northern South America, some Caribbean countries, and the United States.
The carnivorous flies they are recognized by the color of the body, between blue and green, and orange eyes, and for the big dimensionsabout 8-10 mm, twice the size of a normal house fly.
Carnivorous flies are called this because unlike most blowflies they lay their eggs on the wounds of living mammals, any species, rather than on carrion. They are therefore dangerous because they attack livestock and domestic animals, more rarely humans.
Within a few hours the eggs hatch into little ones larvae that penetrate the wound e they feed on the tissue surrounding.
The larvae are also known as “worm-vines” for their ability to penetrate deep into the flesh of the host, causing infections and necrosis which can even lead to death.
What are the symptoms
Assassin flies deposit their eggs in the open wounds of living mammals, in the mucous membranes of orifices, or in other moist areas of the body. Once the eggs have hatched, the larvae spread into the surrounding tissues, causing a parasitic disease known as myiasis.
The infestation of these larvae causes painful infections: i symptoms in humans they may include pain, intense itching, skin erythema, skin nodules, bumps on the skin.
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