title: Gasterophilus intestinalis (Diptera: Oestridae) in the diaphragmatic muscle: An unusual finding.
abstract: Larval forms of the bot-fly Gasterophilus are obligate parasites commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of equids, causing intestinal myiasis. Five species are reported so far in Italy, mostly observed during necroscopy, located in different portion of gastrointestinal tract of equids: G. intestinalis, G. nasalis, G. inermis, G. pecorum and G. haemorrhoidalis. An unusual finding of larval Gasterophilus intestinalis deeply inserted into the diaphragmatic muscle is here reported. Due to the uncommon localization, to the absence of clinical signs related to myiasis and subsequent uncertainty of species identity, identification was performed using an integrative taxonomical approach combining morphology with molecular tools for confirmatory reasons. This finding adds information on migration patterns of erratic larval forms in G. intestinalis, a feature of interest as gasterophiliasis is among the less studied intestinal myiasis of horses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: serena.cavallero@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cavallero
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pombi
authors.affiliation: Az. USL Roma 2, Dip. di Prevenzione, Serv. Veterinario, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vitantonio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Milardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Amelio
authors.affiliation: Responsabile benessere degli animali al macello - Centro Carni Comune di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gabrielli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000469:parasitology; D004175:Diptera / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000469:parasitology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D006736:Horses; D007558:Italy; D007814:Larva; D009198:Myiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary
keywords: COI barcode; Diaphragm; Gasterophilus intestinalis; Myiasis