A case of imported furuncular cutaneous myiasis and cytochrome oxidaseI gene sequence analysis of the pathogenic Cordylobia anthropophaga

Abstract

To report a case of imported furuncular cutaneous myiasis, and to analyze the sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit Ⅰ (COⅠ) gene of the pathogenic Cordylobia anthropophaga. A 33-year-old female patient had a travel history to Ghana and Cameroon in Africa 1 month prior to the presentation. No anti-mosquito measures were taken during her stay, and she hung up the laundries outside to dry for several times. Skin examination showed furuncular protuberances with diameters of 1 - 2 cm on the inner side of the left upper arm as well as on the outer side of the left chest, which were bright red and hard on palpation with irregular borders and a small hole on their central surface. Morphological identification revealed that the larva squeezed from the lesion was suspected as myiasis. After PCR amplification of the COⅠ gene of the larva, an about 650-bp PCR product was acquired. Sequencing and BLAST analysis showed that this product was most closely related to the COⅠ gene (GenBank accession number: FR719158.1) of Cordylobia anthropophaga isolated in Cameroon in 2010 with the sequence similarity being 99.84%, and they were grouped together on the phylogenetic tree. According to the clinical features and travel history of the patient and the sequencing results of the pathogenic Cordylobia anthropophaga, this case was confirmed as imported furuncular cutaneous myiasis caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga. Key words: Hypodermyiasis; Muscidae; Electron transport complex Ⅳ; Furuncular cutaneous myiasis; Cordylobia anthropophaga