A 58-year-old sheep farmer in Greece stunned doctors after sneezing out live larvae following weeks of worsening sinus pain and severe coughing. The woman initially experienced throbbing discomfort around her sinuses and jaw, but her condition escalated when she expelled what she described as worms from her nose. Surgeons removed ten larvae and one pupa from her sinuses, with the largest measuring about two centimeters long.

Laboratory testing identified the parasites as Oestrus ovis, commonly known as the sheep bot fly, a species that typically inhabits the nasal passages of sheep in warm regions such as the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Australia. The woman recalled being surrounded by flies while working with grazing sheep shortly before her symptoms began. Physicians noted that her severely deviated septum may have made it easier for the flies to deposit larvae deep within her sinuses.

Doctors warned that while human infections are rare, they can occur in areas where sheep are raised. If left undetected, the larvae would likely have died within the sinuses, potentially leading to bacterial infection. The case, published in a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also raised questions about whether the parasite could be adapting to survive longer in human hosts.