Recently at Honduras, all the intern and residents in the hospital are on strike because they are refusing to do one year of cheap service for the poor. So the volume of patient at the free clinic has steadily increased. So we went over to help…..
So at the clinic I was flushing a wound on the left index finger almost to the palm of a young girl about 12 to 14, it had purulent pus and it was obviously inflame and infected in the surrounding area. Well, of course I ask “Que paso aqui?” (What happen here?) She repeated the word “Torsalo”……and I said “Disculpe, No Entiendo…” (Sorry, I don’t understand).
Of course once I got home I went a big internet search……Have you ever heard of “Torsalo”? Well, I have never….until now. It is basically when a large fly (Botfly) bites a mammal….either human or cattle. It deposits it’s eggs in underneath the skin. So as the larvae hatch it well come out of the skin. The problem is it can cause discomfort around the area and also doesn’t look very nice. For this young lady, it was horribly infected and I can see the bone.....
I’m no hand surgeon and I can see it’s not a good thing. I fear she’ll lose that finger or part of that hand. I wish Dr. Arai is around for me to ask him!!!!!!!! (So if any of you sees this blog please ask Dr. Arai for me…hehehe (WHAT ANTIBIOTIC DO YOU USE FOR BOTFLY BITE INFECTION?) She has been on PCN IM for 5 days still with purulent pus…
