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Thread: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
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09-05-2020, 10:07 #11
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
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- West Rand, Gauteng
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Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
Years ago hunting in the Pongola area we were disturbed during the day by a heavy animal crashing around in the bush near the camp. I went out and found a youngish kudu bull staggering around with a huge injury just behind the left front leg. Called it in and farmer asked me to finish him. Stench was horrendous and he had an abscess about the size of my two fists and an open wound that was full of brommers and their maggots, the skin was jiving for about 1 sq. foot around the wound. I dragged him behind our vehicle with a veeery long rope and left him at the vulture feeding area. Not nice!
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09-05-2020, 10:45 #12
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- Vereeniging
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- 70
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- 5,782
Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
B060 Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) Screwworms are larvae of the blowfly, Cochliomyia (Callitroga) hominivorax (order Diptera, family Calliphoridae), which is an obligate myiasis-causing parasite. The female screwworm fly lays eggs on wounds, cuts, bites, navels of newborns, and other sites in the skin of all warm-blooded animals. Cochliomyia hominivorax is distributed throughout the neoarctic and neotropical regions of the Western Hemisphere. As a result of massive state, federal, and international eradication programs, extant populations of C hominivorax are no longer found in the USA or Mexico; the isolated reports of infestations are often traced to importation of infested animals from locations where the screwworm is still prevalent. Extant populations are found in Central and South America, and certain Caribbean islands. Another species of screwworm, the "old world" screwworm, Chrysomyia bezziana, is found in Africa and southern Asia, including Papua New Guinea.
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09-05-2020, 15:03 #13
- Join Date
- Jul 2010
- Location
- Witbank
- Age
- 59
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- 4,120
Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
Yes, this really makes me think back a lot of years..we lived in Komatipoort, during the hot summer months as I recall, we really had a lot of challenges with these worms infected puppies , as well as our children got a few in out arms and legs..to us it was known as the Mango fly ..it really was something to experience if that worm is taking out of your flesh..
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10-05-2020, 09:11 #14
- Join Date
- May 2010
- Location
- Right next to the pot that needs stirring.
- Age
- 45
- Posts
- 2,157
Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
Jip, these that are commonly called "maaiers" (maggots) in the Afrikaans farming community. Actually it is Screwworm/Spykerwurm. A farmer will say "Die wond is vol maaiers".
When cattle have a wound with infestation one of the Ivermectin (Trade names of Ivomec / Ecomectin / Ivermaxx etc) group of medicines works wonders and will kill the worms instantly and keep the wound clean. On domesticated animals Screwworm infection don't pose a real problem with regards to treatment. Just inject the correct dosage of Ivermectin and the problem is sorted.
On expensive game I do know that for instance Buffalo bulls with wounds has been darted from choppers or hides with great effect with the same.
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11-05-2020, 13:16 #15
- Join Date
- Oct 2014
- Posts
- 537
Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
Mango Flies is what we called the ones that laid eggs on your clothes and then drilled into your flesh. Horrible little buggers. Everything had to be ironed.
My poor plathund always got nailed as he loved water.
When laying in the sun to dry the flies would lay their eggs on his fur, this was in East Africa.
The worms formed small boil like bumps on the skin one way of getting them out was a layer of vaseline they could not breath then crawled out then was the time to grab them or squeeze them out. Occasionally I would find an animal with these grubs, was never life threatening though.
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11-05-2020, 15:13 #16
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
- Location
- Port Elizabeth
- Age
- 55
- Posts
- 11,588
Re: Spykerwurm /Screwworm
We went out to do this shoot off at the absolutely wrong time, full moon, warm night (no shirt at fire at night), hot and dead still not even the birds moving by day weather.
We saw kudu for about 30 mins before sun down, all were healthy animals. Found 4 dead Kudu as well. We also only saw Warthog for a few minutes before sundown. Perhaps I should have considered doing this at night?
Farmer said the infected animals are not well and therefor staying in thick cover?
I think this idea of shooting the infected animals is going to be like trying piss a velt fire out.
Had to laugh though, made a fire for the evening and commented that in my life I do not think I have ever had a camp fire without a beer present, be it my father or my own. My partner at camp commented, "You supposed to be working, not enjoying yourself".
Ya ! - we not supposed to be happy, it spreads the virus ya know!
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