Man finds intact fly in his colon during routine colonoscopy
Doctors perplexed by rare discovery and mystery of how insect entered digestive system
A routine colonoscopy in Missouri took a bizarre turn when doctors discovered a fully intact fly in a patient’s transverse colon during the procedure. The 63-year-old patient, who had no symptoms suggesting he had ingested an insect, was bewildered by the discovery and had no idea how the fly got into his body.
According to Matthew Bechtold, the chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Missouri, the patient had only consumed clear liquids before the procedure and had eaten pizza and lettuce two days prior, but did not recall a fly being on any of the food he ate.
The puzzling discovery was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, with doctors highlighting the rarity of such a finding and the mystery surrounding how the fly made its way to its final resting place in the patient’s colon. Dr. Bechtold suggested the fly may have entered through consumption or by entering the patient’s rectum, but remained unsure of the exact route the insect took.
While it is unclear how the fly managed to remain intact throughout its journey into the digestive system, the case is not unprecedented. In rare incidents, insects have survived stomach acid and the gastrointestinal environment, resulting in intestinal myiasis, where flies and larvae infest the intestines of humans.
In some cases, patients have experienced symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting after ingesting insect larvae. The case reported in the American Journal of Gastroenterology is a rare and unusual occurrence, leaving doctors puzzled about the true cause of the fly’s presence in the patient’s colon.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention does not track cases of intestinal myiasis, but the discovery serves as a reminder of the potential risks associated with consuming food that may have been contaminated by insects.