A paralysed Austrian man was eaten to death by maggots in his bed while his partner slept beside him, police said Wednesday.

The 61-year-old retiree died in an ambulance on his way to hospital in Vienna on Tuesday with the maggots having partly devoured his back.

Paramedics notified police after discovering the shocking state of hygiene in the man's home, and his 34-year-old partner was questioned over his condition.

"The man had not wanted to be washed for a long time," a police spokesman said.

According to police, the couple had been together for around a decade, and the victim's partner had slept in the same bed right up until his death.

The dead man had been paralysed for several years following a stroke.

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(c) 2010 AFP