Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

Eastern countries, including Cyprus. Larvae are obligate parasites in the nostrils andfrontal sinuses of sheep, goats, camels and horses. Ocular infestation of humans by O.ovis is not uncommon, and several cases occurred in US military personnel during thePersian Gulf War. Female flies are larviparous, depositing larvae while in flight directlyinto the human eye. Normally, infestations produce a painful but not serious form ofconjunctivitis. However, larvae are capable of penetrating the inner eye, causing seriouscomplications. The Tumbu fly, Cordylobia anthropophaga, is a blow fly (familyCalliphoridae), whose larvae can burrow into human subcutaneous tissue, producing aboil-like lesion. Larvae develop in the subcutaneous tissue for about 10 days, then exit thewound and pupate in the ground. Dogs are the most common domestic host, and severalspecies of wild rats are the preferred field hosts. Tumbu flies do not lay eggs directly onthe skin or hairs of a host but in excrement or soiled clothing. Larvae remain in the sandor soil until a host approaches. Tumbu flies are a common parasite of tropical Africa andwere once restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, but they have been recorded in southwesternSaudi Arabia since 1980. Wohlfahrtia magnifica (family Sarcophagidae) is an importantobligatory parasite in the wounds and natural orifices of warm-blooded animals, includinghumans. Cases of myiasis caused by this species have been reported from Turkey.Ophthalmic and nasal myiases caused by the Old World screwworm fly, Chrysomyiabezziana, have also been reported from Saudi Arabia.Myiasis is rarely a fatal disease, but troops living in the field during combat are at a highrisk of infestation. Good sanitation can prevent most cases of accidental and facultativemyiasis. Exposed foodstuffs should not be left unattended to prevent flies fromovipositing on them. Fruits and vegetables should be washed prior to consumption andexamined for developing maggots. Extra care should be taken to keep wounds clean anddressed. Avoid sleeping in the nude, especially outdoors during daytime when adult fliesare active and likely to oviposit in body orifices. At field facilities, proper waste disposaland fly control can reduce fly populations and the risk of infestation.7. Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps). Most wasps and some bees are solitary orsubsocial insects that use their stings for subduing prey. These species are not usuallyinvolved in stinging incidents, and their venom generally causes only slight and temporarypain to humans. The social wasps, bees and ants use their sting primarily as a defensiveweapon, and their venom causes intense pain in vertebrates.The three families of Hymenoptera responsible for most stings in humans are theVespidae (wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets), the Apidae (honey bees and bumble bees),and the Formicidae (ants). Wasps and ants can retract their stings after use and can stingrepeatedly. The honey bee stinging apparatus has barbs that hold it so firmly that the bee'sabdomen ruptures when it tries to pull the stinger out of the skin. The bee's poison gland,which is attached to the stinger, will continue injecting venom after separation. Scrapingthe skin after a bee sting is important to remove the stinger and attached venom sac.Honey bees are the most common source of stings in the Middle East. Bee keeping is anexpanding industry in Turkey and other countries. Wild strains of honey bees can be veryaggressive. The hornet, Vespa orientalis, is common around freshwater habitats and isresponsible for many stinging incidents in Israel and Jordan. Ants can bite, sting andsquirt formic acid. Stings of the samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis, have causedserious systemic reactions in the United Arab Emirates. Some protein-feeding ants such137