Nosocomial nasal myiasis in an intensive care unit.

A 73-year-old Chinese man was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Premorbid Ward of a local hospital in Malaysia. The patient complained of shortness of breath with cough and was in a semi-conscious state. He was later admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. Six days after admission 5-6 maggots were recoverd from the nasal cavity. The maggots were identified as the third-instar larvae of Lucilia cuprina Wiedmann (Diptera: Calliphoridae) based on the morphological characteristics. This patient was classified as having nosocomial myiasis. The presence of the third instar larvae indicated that the infestation was not more than three to four days. An adult sarcophagid identified as Parasarcophaga ruficornis (Fabricius) caught in the ICU where the patient was warded provided further evidence of the potential for the nosocomial infestation.

Nosocomial nasal myiasis in an intensive care unit

A 73-year-old Chinese man was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Premorbid Ward of a local hospital in Malaysia. The patient complained of shortness of breath with cough and was in a semi-conscious state. He was later admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. Six days after admission 5-6 maggots were recoverd from the nasal cavity. The maggots were identifi ed as the third-instar larvae of Lucilia cuprina Wiedmann (Diptera: Calliphoridae) based on the morphological characteristics. This patient was classifi ed as having nosocomial myiasis. The presence of the third instar larvae indicated that the infestation was not more than three to four days. An adult sarcophagid identifi ed as Parasarcophaga rufi cornis (Fabricius) caught in the ICU where the patient was warded provided further evidence of the potential for the nosocomial infestation.

Oviposition behaviour of Aedes albopictus in temephos and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-treated ovitraps.

This study was conducted to determine the response of dengue vectors to ovitraps treated with temephos and Bacillus thuringensis israelensis (Bti) compared with untreated ovitraps which only contained seasoned tap water. The study was conducted at two sites: the natural breeding habitats where the ovitraps were exposed directly to sunshine and rain, and under shelter beneath a cabin without direct exposure. The ovitraps were placed for a period of five days at six different sites each in both conditions. The experiments were replicated three times. The results indicated that all mosquitoes breeding in the ovitraps were Aedes albopictus. There was no significant difference in the ovipositioning behaviour in the natural habitat, but there was a significant difference in the number of eggs laid in the ovitraps placed under the cabins. Though the mean number of eggs laid in traps in response to each treatment varied among the sites, the overall ovipositioning activity was not significantly different between sites when egg densities in the test ovitraps were averaged over the six-week ovitrapping period (site versus treatment effect) at p

Susceptibility status of transgenic Aedes aegypti (L.) against insecticides

Two strains of Aedes aegypti, a RIDL® strain (MyRIDL513A) and a laboratory strain (MyWT), were used in the insecticide-susceptibility study. Two-to-five-day-old female mosquitoes from both strains were tested for their susceptibility against seven insecticides from the class of organophosphate, carbamate, pyrethroids and organochlorine. The adult bioassay was performed according to WHO standard procedures. The 50% lethal time (LT50) value was determined for each strain against the seven insecticides. Both the MyRIDL513A and MyWT strains were resistant to DDT, exhibiting mortality of 48% and 33% respectively, but were susceptible to malathion (5%), permethrin (0.75%), cyfluthrin (0.15%) and lambdacyhalothrin (0.05%). This study shows there is no evidence of altered susceptibility to insecticides in the RIDL strain compared to a WT strain of Ae. aegypti.

Distribution and abundance of diurnal and nocturnal dipterous flies in the Federal Territory, Putrajaya.

A study of diurnal and nocturnal distribution of flies was conducted in Putrajaya. Six different ecological habitats were selected, namely: botanical garden, lake-area, administration building, wetland, jungle fringes and housing areas. Two different type of traps, cylinderical and rectangular in shape were used in the study. Baits used in these traps were yeast, sugar, salted fish, shrimp paste and fresh liver. Traps were placed at the sites throughout the diurnal and nocturnal periods. The time for sunrise and sunset was determined using a Geographical Positioning System gadget (GARMIN) at the sites. Both type of traps were equally effective in trapping flies. There was no significant difference between both types of traps in their ability to trap flies (p > 0.05). A total of 1,534 flies were collected and identified from both types of trap using the multiple baits and habitats. The collection consisted of 23 species of flies classified under 6 families. The highest number of flies were caught from the lake-area followed by botanical garden, administration building, housing areas, wetland and jungle fringes. The most dominant species was Chrysomya megacephala, followed by species of Sarcophagidae and Musca domestica. Diurnal period had more numbers of flies (81.55%) compared to the nocturnal periods (18.45%). Some species of flies were strictly diurnal, some exibited both diurnal and nocturnal activities while only one species was strictly nocturnal.