Oestrid head maggots in slaughtered sheep in Cairo abattoir.

Oestrosis or infestation of sheep, goats, ibex, argali and sometimes man with Oestrus ovis maggots is a real problem in sheep-farming areas allover the world. Parasitism in sheep may be benign, the majority of cases do not terminate fatally, but death may come within a week after appearance of aggravated symptoms. In man, ophthalmomyiasis (sometimes nasopharyngeal) may be benign to destruction of the eye ball or the entire eye in misdiagnosis. In the present study, examination of 1200 slaughtered sheep heads at Cairo abattoir, showed 104 (8.67%) infested with O. ovis maggots. Sheep were parasitized all the year round with more or less maximum number (12.5%) in September. The sex ratio of parasitized sheep (female to male) was 1:2.71. A total of 556 maggots were recovered allover the year with a peak in March (12.6%). The peak for the first instar larvae recovered was September (17.4%), for the second instar was March (15.7%) and for the third instar was June (11.6%). Older sheep were more infested (12.0%) with oestrosis than smaller ones (6.87%). The whole results were discussed.