Traumatic myiasis in wild animals admitted to a rehabilitation center in southeastern Turkey.
4 affiliations
- 1Dicle Wild Animals Protection and Rehabilitation Practice and Research Center, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Türkiye.
- 2Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Türkiye.
- 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Türkiye.
- 4Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Türkiye.
Abstract
Background and objectives
Traumatic myiasis develops when dipteran larvae colonize pre-existing wounds and may complicate the management of injured wildlife. Wildlife-associated cases remain insufficiently documented, particularly in reptiles and wild ungulates. This study aimed to characterize traumatic myiasis in wild animals admitted to a rehabilitation center in southeastern Turkey and to identify the causative dipteran species using integrated morphological and molecular approaches.Materials and methods
Eight wild animals with traumatic myiasis admitted between December 2020 and September 2022 were evaluated. Larvae collected during routine wound management were identified morphologically. Forty third-instar larvae, five from each clinical case, underwent mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing. Following quality control and within-case redundancy assessment, 11 representative study sequences were retained for comparative analyses. Species assignments were evaluated using sequence similarity, pairwise nucleotide divergence, and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis.Results
A total of 132 third-instar larvae were recovered. Four dipteran species were identified: Lucilia sericata, Calliphora vomitoria, Calliphora vicina, and Wohlfahrtia magnifica. L. sericata was detected in six cases, and two common buzzards had mixed-species infestations. The 11 representative study sequences showed 99.52-100.00% identity to verified GenBank references and were deposited under accession numbers OR642793-OR642803. The final 624-bp phylogenetic dataset comprised 16 sequences (11 study sequences, four species-specific references, and one outgroup) and supported the morphological assignments. Traumatic myiasis was also documented in Rafetus euphraticus and Capra aegagrus, representing potentially novel or rarely documented host associations.Conclusion
Combined morphological examination and COI-based molecular analysis provided concordant species-level identification of myiasis-causing larvae in this small opportunistic wildlife case series. The findings expand descriptive knowledge of traumatic myiasis in wildlife from southeastern Turkey.
Related
- Myroides bacteremia associated with wound myiasis: A case report and focused literature review.
- Revisit of the admitted control RND efflux pumps' inhibitor PAβN: use limitations, and structural revelation in complex with MexB
- Predictors of pulmonary embolism in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases patients admitted for worsening respiratory symptoms: An individual participant data meta-analyses
- Genetics and trait associations in dual-purpose wheat production under southeastern U.S. production systems
- Insights into Atlantic-Pacific divergence in Arbacia (Echinoidea) using revised systematics of Neogene fossils from the Caribbean and southeastern United States
BibTeX
@article{yildiz2026traumatic,
title = {{Traumatic myiasis in wild animals admitted to a rehabilitation center in southeastern Turkey.}},
author = {Ayse Ekinci Yildiz and Duygu Neval Sayin İpek and Aysun Ekinci and Fırat Aşır},
journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1892985},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903058},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Traumatic myiasis in wild animals admitted to a rehabilitation center in southeastern Turkey.
AU - Ayse Ekinci Yildiz
AU - Duygu Neval Sayin İpek
AU - Aysun Ekinci
AU - Fırat Aşır
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Frontiers in veterinary science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1892985
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903058
AB - Background and objectives Traumatic myiasis develops when dipteran larvae colonize pre-existing wounds and may complicate the management of injured wildlife. Wildlife-associated cases remain insufficiently documented, particularly in reptiles and wild ungulates. This study aimed to characterize traumatic myiasis in wild animals admitted to a rehabilitation center in southeastern Turkey and to identify the causative dipteran species using integrated morphological and molecular approaches.Materials and methods Eight wild animals with traumatic myiasis admitted between December 2020 and September 2022 were evaluated. Larvae collected during routine wound management were identified morphologically. Forty third-instar larvae, five from each clinical case, underwent mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing. Following quality control and within-case redundancy assessment, 11 representative study sequences were retained for comparative analyses. Species assignments were evaluated using sequence similarity, pairwise nucleotide divergence, and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis.Results A total of 132 third-instar larvae were recovered. Four dipteran species were identified: Lucilia sericata, Calliphora vomitoria, Calliphora vicina, and Wohlfahrtia magnifica. L. sericata was detected in six cases, and two common buzzards had mixed-species infestations. The 11 representative study sequences showed 99.52-100.00% identity to verified GenBank references and were deposited under accession numbers OR642793-OR642803. The final 624-bp phylogenetic dataset comprised 16 sequences (11 study sequences, four species-specific references, and one outgroup) and supported the morphological assignments. Traumatic myiasis was also documented in Rafetus euphraticus and Capra aegagrus, representing potentially novel or rarely documented host associations.Conclusion Combined morphological examination and COI-based molecular analysis provided concordant species-level identification of myiasis-causing larvae in this small opportunistic wildlife case series. The findings expand descriptive knowledge of traumatic myiasis in wildlife from southeastern Turkey.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -