A Case Study of Otomyiasis Caused by Parasarcophaga similis (Meade, 1876) (Diptera : Sarcophagidae)
A rare human case of otomyiasis found in Okayama Prefecture is reported. On August 10th, 1987, 7 dipterous larvae were found in right ear canal of a 50-year-old woman living in Okayama, Japan. Removed specimens were with 11 segments excluding the cephalic segment. Average sizes were about 5.0 mm in length and 1.0 mm in maximum width. No anterior spiracle was recognized on the lateral surface of the 2nd segment. By insectological observation, the specimens were identified as the 1st instar larvae of Parasarcophaga similis (Meade, 1876) belonging to the family Sarcophagidae, based on morphological characteristics of cephalopharyngeal skeleton and anterior and posterior spiracles. To our best knowledge, this is the first case of human otomyiasis in Japan caused by Parasarcophaga similis. Details with some bibliographical data are reported.
