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Updated: Feb 18, 2026

Exploring Life History Choices: Using Temperature and Substrate Type as Interacting Factors for Blowfly Larval and Female Preferences
Published on: November 17, 2023
Multispecies blow fly myiasis combined with hypothermia in a man assumed to be dead
Victoria Bernhardt1, Fabian Finkelmeier2, Andrea Tal2
1Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. bernhardt@med.uni-frankfurt.de.
Abstract:
We describe the case of a man who was found with severe hypothermia and advanced myiasis involving five species of blow flies, which eventually led to a transtibial amputation of the man's right leg. A case of such a heavy and species-rich infestation with fly larvae in an urban environment is extraordinary and has, to our knowledge, never been described so far. Best practice in cases such as this one demands accurate species identification not only to ensure appropriate treatment and pest management but also, from a forensic point of view, to explore the possibility of third-party responsibility. The cooperation between physicians and forensic entomologists is highlighted.

