|
Medical Definition of Skin botflies
1. A large, blue, brown-winged species whose larvae develop in open boil-like lesions in the skin of humans, many domestic animals, and some fowl. It is a very serious and damaging cattle parasite and frequently attacks small children in Central and South America. Its eggs are laid on the legs or abdomen of another insect, such as the mosquito; the eggs later hatch, when stimulated by warmth or other factors, to release the botfly larvae on the skin of the mosquito's bloodmeal host, and the larvae quickly invade the skin to initiate myiasis. Synonym: Dermatobia cyaniventris, human botfly, skin botflies, warble botfly. (05 Mar 2000)