With this extravagant discovery, a 55-year-old tourist from Great Britain ended her trip to Uganda. Nothing threatens a woman's life and health, and doctors have the opportunity to discuss the details of an infrequent incident.
During a trip through the rainforest, the woman thought that she was bitten by some kind of insect, after which a swelling formed at the site of the bite, which was noticeably painful. Arriving in a relatively civilized place, the lady turned to local doctors, who prescribed some medications for her, but did not seriously analyze the situation.
Upon returning to England, the pain intensified and the lady went to the doctors again. The examination revealed that a larva of some tropical insect lives under the patient's skin. Doctors covered the wound with petroleum jelly so that the parasite, trying to breathe, would get out, or at least get to the exit. After that, the larva was removed, and the patient was sent for an ultrasound examination, which showed that communication with medicine should be continued - there are still larvae under the skin that need to be removed. The woman spent four days in the hospital, after which she was safely discharged.
The first larva was sent to the London School of Tropical Medicine, where it was identified as the larva of the tropical fly Cordylobia rodhaini, also known as the Lund fly, after an officer who was once the first European to face a similar situation. The fly is common in African rainforests and spends its larval stage as a parasite of large mammals.
Cases like the one described are rare - once every few years. The details are described in an article published in BMJ Case Reports.
Sergey Sysoev