Parasitic flies are found in countries in central and eastern Africa

Dermatologist revealed that maggots were living in his abdomen and thigh

A man who suffered itching and skin sores on his return from a trip to Africa was found to have 20 maggots living under his skin.

The man, known only as Ma, from Guangzhou in China, went to see his local doctor complaining of painful, blistering skin sores after working across the continent for six months.

After two weeks, his condition failed to improve, so he visited a dermatologist at the Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital.

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Wriggling: The man, from China, was discovered to have 20 live maggots nestled under his skin

The dermatologist examined him and determined that maggots were living beneath the skin of his abdomen and right thigh.

A blood test showed high levels of eosinophils, white blood cells for combating parasites and infections, which confirmed the diagnosis.

The man later underwent a minor surgical procedure to extract a total of 20 live maggots from his body.

The maggots were identified as tumbu fly maggots, a type of blowfly whose larvae feeds on human tissue

The maggots were then identified as tumbu fly maggots, a type of blowfly whose larvae feeds on living human tissue.

The fly, also known as the skin maggot fly, is a species of blow-fly found in East and Central African countries. It is a parasite of large mammals, including humans, during its larval stage.

First, the tumbu fly lays its eggs on the ground. Then the larvae, known as Cayor Worms, wriggle over the soil until they come in contact with man or a mammal, penetrate the skin and lie in the 'subcutaneous' tissue, causing the formation of tumours.

THE PARASITES YOU REALLY WANT TO AVOID The candiru - also known as the vampire catfish. This tiny urophilic life form is known to swim stream of urine and can swim up into the urethra or anus. It has sharp spines that it digs into your flesh and can only be removed by surgery. The ascari worm infects pigs and humans via contact with food or water that's been contaminated with fecal matter. Once in the gut, the worms 'migrate' by chewing their way from the intestines to the lungs. This causes ascaris pneumonia which can be fatal. Advertisement

It takes eight to 12 days developing through three larval stages before it reaches full growth, when ot falls to the ground, bury themselves and pupate.