First Case Report of Canthariasis in an Infant Caused by the Larvae of Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

We report an unusual cause of gastrointestinal infection occurring in a 1-year-old infant patient who was brought to a public hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Larvae passed out in the patient’s feces were confirmed by DNA barcoding as belonging to the species, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), known as the cigarette beetle. We postulate that the larvae were acquired from contaminated food and were responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms in the patient. To our knowledge, this the first report of human canthariasis caused by larvae of L. serricorne.

Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - September 2, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Mokhtar, A. S., Sridhar, G. S., Mahmud, R., Jeffery, J., Lau, Y. L., Wilson, J.-J., Abdul-Aziz, N. M. Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research