Myiasis in humans is relatively rare but occurs more often than many people think. There are some genuinely parasitic species whose maggots need to feed off living tissue. However, the majority of cases are opportunistic infestations of infected wounds or chronic ulcerativc conditions by non-invasive species where the maggots are saphrophytic, feeding off necrotic tissue and exudates following bacterial activity. Such infestations are normally advantageous, despite their distasteful nature, and of course maggot therapy has recently undergone a revival in order to treat conditions which antibiotics fail to reach. Apart from the elderly and infirm, it is normally younger children, especially those of low socio-economic status, who are most at risk of experiencing infestations whether owing to super-infection of pre-existing lesions or poor hygiene around body orifices.
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