Dermatobia hominis ‘the human botfly’ presenting as a scalp lesion

Abstract

Owing to increasing international travel, physicians will encounter more infectious diseases acquired overseas, which may be bacterial, fungal or parasitic in nature. 1 Knowledge of the geographic distribution of specific diseases permits the formulation of a differential diagnosis in the context of clinical presentation. Parasitic infestations of the maxillofacial tissues can be caused by a host of different ectoparasites, for example, myiasis, a frequently misdiagnosed disease of tourists returning from exotic locations. For those natives and travellers who are subject to these ‘infestations’, the experience can be both alarming and very distressing.