Myiasis of the tracheostomy wound caused by Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830): molecular identification based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene

Wound myiasis is the infestation of open wounds of mammalian hosts caused by larvae of various species of flies. This kind of myiasis can be a serious problem for immobilized patients with open wounds. Here we identify a dipteran larva found in the tracheostomy wound of a child affected by a severe spinal muscular atrophy. The collected larva was dissected and microscopically analyzed. DNA was extracted from part of the larva and used for the molecular identification. A 487 bp fragment, including part of 5.8S, the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and part of 28S, was amplified using a novel PCR assay to be cloned and sequenced. The barcode region of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) was also cloned and sequenced after PCR amplification. The larva, designated as SASI1, was identified as a third instar of Sarcophaga sp. The COI sequencing confirmed a low similarity with S. ruficornis (95%) yet, COI showed a 100% similarity with Sarcophaga argyrostoma species. Therefore, SASI1 was identified as a S. argyrostoma larva on the basis its COI barcode. This is one of the rare cases of myiasis of tracheostomy wound and the first caused by S. argyrostoma.