Oral squamous cell carcinoma associated with myiasis

Abstract

SummaryMyiasis is a general term for infection by fly larvae feeding on the host's necrotic or living tissue. Although infestation by fly larvae is much more prevalent in animals, it is a relatively frequent in occurrence. Oral myiasis is a rare pathology in humans and is associated with poor oral hygiene. Larvae cause itching and irritation due to their crawling movements and can destroy vital tissues, inducing serious or even life-threatening haemorrhage. The treatment is a mechanical removal of the maggots one by one; however, a systemic treatment with macrolide antibiotics, have been recently used for treatment. We present a case report of a 70-year-old man indigent, alcoholdependent with an extensive necrotic wound in mandible and fetid odour. The prevention of human myiasis is by education, but unfortunately in the developing countries some people live in low social condition, predisposing the occurrence of the infestation. BACKGROUND

Oral myiasis in older adult with severe Alzheimer’s disease

“…Although this is not a lethal disorder, in older adults, the systemic status is essential for a good prognosis. This case and other similar studies showed successful treatment . However, some cases in older adults with immunocompromised status (anemia, dehydration, low weight), stroke, tube feeding, cancer lesions, or trauma reported the patients died, as a result of these secondary causes, i.e., pneumonia, respiratory failure, and sepsis …”

“…Debridement has a curative function, but some foreign body reactions may occur in cases in which maggots remain in the surgical wound due to incomplete debridement . Certain drugs are suggested as adjuvants to treatment, such as Ivermectin (10 cases, and this study) and Nitrofurazone . Other chemical agents also were used to encourage the maggots to exit the wound through induction of tissue hypoxia or mechanical action of the irrigation, concomitantly, such as saline, chloroform, turpentine oil, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorhexidine .…”

“…Among 70 papers found in the search, only 26 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria, total 35 cases (62.9% male, mean age = 76.2 years, ranging from 60 to 97 years), and this study. 7,15,17,20,23,27,28,31,32,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] Three of these articles were not included in the databases searched. 43,46,51 These were found in the reference list of selected articles and were included because these met the established inclusion criteria.…”

Myiasis Associated with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma - A Literature Review

“…However, mechanical removal is not sufficient treatment because of the larva's hooks that it uses to grip the tissue cavity (Verma, Marya, 2011;Dharshiyani et al, 2012). Application of ether to the wound has been suggested in order to compel the maggots wiggle out of the host tissue.…”

“…The wounds can be debrided by irrigating with normal saline or antiseptic medicaments such as 0.2% aqueous chlorhexidine, iodoform, ethyl chloride, mercuric chloride, creosote or turpentine oil. Whitehead varnish pack, which contains ether, can be applied to the raw wound for protection during the healing phase 3 (Dharshiyani et al, 2012). Recently, Ivermectin, a semisynthetic macrolide antibiotic used in veterinary medicine, has been applied to the treatment of oral myiasis.…”