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Article
November 3, 1993

Bacon Therapy and Furuncular Myiasis

Author Affiliations

From the Infectious Disease Unit (Drs Brewer and Felsenstein) and Department of Dermatology (Dr Gonzalez), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; and Division of Infectious Diseases (Dr Wilson), Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Mass.

JAMA. 1993;270(17):2087-2088. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03510170077034
Abstract

Objective.  —To evaluate a simple, noninvasive method for removing fly larvae from patients with furuncular myiasis.

Desing.  —Case series.

Setting.  —Ambulatory office of a tertiary care center.

Patients.  —Three patients who presented with Dermatobia hominis infestation.

Intervention.  —The patients with D hominis infestation were treated with the application of bacon fat over the larval apertures.

Main Outcome Measure.  —Removal of intact larvae.

Results.  —Within 3 hours of the application of bacon, the larvae had migrated sufficiently far out of the skin to be removed with tweezers. Ten larvae were removed with this method. There were no treatment failures or complications.

Conclusions.  —Furuncular myiasis will be seen more frequently in temperate areas as individuals travel to endemic areas. We describe the clinical characteristics of myiasis and a simple method of treatment that permits rapid diagnosis and cure.(JAMA. 1993;270:2087-2088)

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