retired1212
01-05-06, 07:54 AM
Damn! I hate these buggers.
My boss was recently to Costa Rica. A day before yesterday he told me that he has some kind of pimple after a mosquito bite. The doctor gave him antibiotics but it doesn’t seem to be working for 4 days. It triggered my doubt that he might be bitten by some kind of insect with many legs. I don't know the English word for that. Either way, I asked him if he can show that infected area to me. When he showed me the sore area then I was surprised. It was not a bite of the insect I was thinking. The swollen area was a little bigger. I told him that it is definitely not because of mosquito but it is something else. Either way, I came back on my seat and started Googling. There I came to know about botfly and the larva of the botfly that develops under the mammal skin. Well, if you are not lucky then you may get one under your skin.
The botfly doesn't leave the larva under your skin. Rather, it catches a mosquito or some other blood sucking flying insect, leaves its eggs on the carrier host, and let him go. When the mosquito bites you then the egg hatches due to the warmness of your skin. Then that small little brat goes under your skin and stays there until it is mature enough. The mature larva then drops in the soil for pupae stage. You should not try to take that out with your fingers as it is difficult to take it out. Second, since the larva has spines on its body so it is possible that you will leave some of its part behind , and this may create an infection.
Ok back to the track. I went back to my boss after Googling with few prints outs and showed him what he had. He was a little nervous (not as nervous as ladies). He called to the health center and told them what he read. The health center said him again that it is just a mosquito bite. Either way, after 20 minutes debate, the health center gives him an appointment for a little surgical operation.
I was too curious to see the larva so I asked if I can come there to see the procedure. I was allowed. Hurray! During the surgical operation, when the doctor saw the living larva, he almost jumped on his place. He said that he never saw such thing before during a surgical operation. The larva died after sometime though. Maybe he didn't like the new environment.
Here are the few photos of the larva of botfly. I wonder why nature has such useless thing.
http://www.vexman.com/botflyla.jpg
http://www.vexman.com/botflyho.jpg
Spines on the larva. Now you know that why it is difficult to take it away without any proper treatment.
http://www.vexman.com/botflymo.jpg
Mouth of the larva.
My boss was recently to Costa Rica. A day before yesterday he told me that he has some kind of pimple after a mosquito bite. The doctor gave him antibiotics but it doesn’t seem to be working for 4 days. It triggered my doubt that he might be bitten by some kind of insect with many legs. I don't know the English word for that. Either way, I asked him if he can show that infected area to me. When he showed me the sore area then I was surprised. It was not a bite of the insect I was thinking. The swollen area was a little bigger. I told him that it is definitely not because of mosquito but it is something else. Either way, I came back on my seat and started Googling. There I came to know about botfly and the larva of the botfly that develops under the mammal skin. Well, if you are not lucky then you may get one under your skin.
The botfly doesn't leave the larva under your skin. Rather, it catches a mosquito or some other blood sucking flying insect, leaves its eggs on the carrier host, and let him go. When the mosquito bites you then the egg hatches due to the warmness of your skin. Then that small little brat goes under your skin and stays there until it is mature enough. The mature larva then drops in the soil for pupae stage. You should not try to take that out with your fingers as it is difficult to take it out. Second, since the larva has spines on its body so it is possible that you will leave some of its part behind , and this may create an infection.
Ok back to the track. I went back to my boss after Googling with few prints outs and showed him what he had. He was a little nervous (not as nervous as ladies). He called to the health center and told them what he read. The health center said him again that it is just a mosquito bite. Either way, after 20 minutes debate, the health center gives him an appointment for a little surgical operation.
I was too curious to see the larva so I asked if I can come there to see the procedure. I was allowed. Hurray! During the surgical operation, when the doctor saw the living larva, he almost jumped on his place. He said that he never saw such thing before during a surgical operation. The larva died after sometime though. Maybe he didn't like the new environment.
Here are the few photos of the larva of botfly. I wonder why nature has such useless thing.
http://www.vexman.com/botflyla.jpg
http://www.vexman.com/botflyho.jpg
Spines on the larva. Now you know that why it is difficult to take it away without any proper treatment.
http://www.vexman.com/botflymo.jpg
Mouth of the larva.