Cordylobia anthropophaga

The Tumbufliege ( Cordylobia anthropophaga ), also often called Mango fly, is an ectoparasite of the genus Cordylobiae and thus to the family of blowflies ( Calliphoridae ) belonging.

It occurs in tropical Africa, south of the Sahara and lays its eggs mainly on sandy soils.

Tumbufliegen as a disease cause

After hatching, the larvae can be by direct physical contact or via, for example, stored on the ground for drying laundry into the skin of the human being, after it has tightened the clothes again. Then they mature within about two weeks in the subcutaneous tissue. They cause there a Dermatomyiasis ( infestation of the skin with fly larvae; myiasis = "Made Wolverine ").

Diagnosis caused by Tumbufliegen myasis

Since only about 0.7 percent of these travelers infectious skin lesions caused by Tumbufliegen, sometimes practical and clinical doctors have problems to diagnose this disease clearly.

Course of the disease

Within days, forms around the larva around a coarse - elastic but slightly painful subcutaneous swelling with a diameter of about one to three centimeters. In the center of the swelling is a central opening allowing the larvae to breathe. From the same opening hatch after approximately eight to twelve days, finished third larvae of the fly.

Consist predominantly covered by clothing skin such as the trunk and the legs, according to tropical disease usually multiple lesions (damage, injury, or disorder of body tissue ) with several larvae per wound.

Therapy

After Albrecht von Schrader and Professor Thomas extinguisher from the Department of Infectious and Tropical Medicine in the Hospital of the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich can the larvae both by simple extension of the central respiratory opening as well as after surgical excision ( removal of tissue ) with tweezers pull it out. A bloodless, most successful method consists of the closure of the respiratory opening with vaseline or oil. Thus, the maggots are forced out to take a breather from the Hauthöhlung. Furthermore, one can attract maggots with applied on the swelling bacon slices. In general, the maggots will cling in the course of one to two hours on the bacon slices and can be then easily removed.

Source

• Albrecht von Schrader Beielstein: differential diagnosis of skin diseases. In: Rüdiger Braun ( Editor): Travel and Tropical Medicine: Textbook for training, practice and advice. Schattauer Verlag, 2005. ISBN 978-3-7945-2286-6. p. 154

• Blowflies
• Human parasite