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Case #379 – September 2014

A 46-year-old woman returned from a trip to Nigeria with multiple boils on her lower back and extremities. Under the care of her primary physician, several fly larvae, one from each boil, were extracted and sent to the state health department for identification. The specimens were in turn forwarded to the CDC-DPDx for further diagnostic assistance. Figure A shows two of the larvae; Figure B shows a close-up of the posterior spiracles of one of the specimens. What is your identification? Based on what criteria?

Figure A

Figure B

Images presented in the DPDx case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving. On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.

DPDx is an educational resource designed for health professionals and laboratory scientists. For an overview including prevention, control, and treatment visit www.cdc.gov/parasites/.