Dar Tanveer Ahmad, Mir Altaf Hussain
Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2025 Aug;63:101298. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2025.101298. Epub 2025 Jun 14.
Calliphorid flies commonly cause traumatic myiasis in sheep, which refers to the parasitic infestation by fly larvae in living vertebrate tissues and hence poses a great threat to the well-being of vertebrates. In the present study, surveys were carried out in different regions of the Kashmir Himalaya to document the incidence and prevalence caused by myiasis in sheep.
Seasonal surveys were conducted at the selected study locations, especially in the areas with a high density of nomadic herding. The wounds of the sheep were examined for the presence of calliphorid larvae. The fly larvae associated with myiasis were collected from the infested regions with the help of a brush and forceps and preserved in 90 % ethanol for laboratory studies.
During the present study, a total of 6441 sheep were screened for the infestation of calliphorids (blowflies) out of which 220 were found harbouring the fly larvae. The ewes (79.09 %) were found more susceptible than males (20.90 %). The incidence and prevalence of myiasis in sheep showed seasonal specificity, with the highest rate in autumn followed by summer, whereas no case of myiasis was recorded in spring and winter. The larvae causing this condition were identified as 3rd instar larvae of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen, 1826). Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) has been documented for the first time in India as the causative agent of myiasis in sheep. Predictable mortality rate among the seasons and selected sites was also investigated.
The present work is one of the first kind of studies from Kashmir Himalaya compiling information on myiasis-causing flies in sheep, particularly those in the Calliphoridae, and this study will act as a roadmap for further studies on the issue and its management.
丽蝇科苍蝇常导致绵羊患创伤性蝇蛆病，创伤性蝇蛆病是指蝇幼虫在活体脊椎动物组织内寄生，从而对脊椎动物的健康构成巨大威胁。在本研究中，在克什米尔喜马拉雅地区的不同区域进行了调查，以记录绵羊蝇蛆病的发病率和流行情况。
在选定的研究地点进行季节性调查，特别是在游牧放牧密度高的地区。检查绵羊的伤口是否有丽蝇幼虫。借助刷子和镊子从受感染区域收集与蝇蛆病相关的蝇幼虫，并保存在90%乙醇中用于实验室研究。
在本研究中，共对6441只绵羊进行了丽蝇（绿头苍蝇）感染筛查，其中220只被发现携带蝇幼虫。发现母羊（79.09%）比公羊（20.90%）更易感染。绵羊蝇蛆病的发病率和流行情况呈现季节性特征，秋季发病率最高，其次是夏季，而春季和冬季未记录到蝇蛆病病例。导致这种情况的幼虫被鉴定为大头金蝇（Fabricius，1794）和丝光绿蝇（Meigen，1826）的三龄幼虫。大头金蝇（Fabricius）在印度首次被记录为绵羊蝇蛆病的病原体。还调查了不同季节和选定地点之间可预测的死亡率。
本研究是克什米尔喜马拉雅地区首批收集绵羊致蝇蛆病苍蝇信息的研究之一，特别是丽蝇科的苍蝇，该研究将为该问题及其管理的进一步研究提供路线图。
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