OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical and epidemiological aspects of canine and feline screw-worm myiasis.

ANIMALS: Naturally infested dogs and cats, presented to five veterinary clinics in four Malaysian states from September 2017 to February 2018.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Cutaneous screw-worm myiasis was diagnosed based on clinical signs and visual examination of burrowing larvae within lesion. Age, breed, gender, anatomical site of infestation and suspected underlying predisposing causes were investigated.

RESULTS: A total of 55 dogs and 21 cats were included in the study. Intact male mixed breed dogs (mean age 58 months) and intact male domestic short hair cats (mean age 24 months) with suspected fight-related wounds were most commonly presented with exudative and ulcerative lesions associated with screw-worm myiasis. The most common anatomical sites of infestation in the dogs were the external ear canals, followed by the perineum and medial canthus. For the cats, the most commonly affected areas were paws and tail. Five cats with screw-worm myiasis were concurrently infected with sporotrichosis.

METHODS: A comparative review involving critical appraisal using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool was conducted. CPGs for managing ear effusion in children in Western and Asian countries published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct databases were reviewed. Four CPGs from Western countries (Scotland, England, the United States of America and France) and three CPGs from Asian countries (Japan, Korea and Malaysia) were selected.

RESULTS: There was a mild discrepancy regarding conducting surgery after 3 months, particularly myringotomy and adenoidectomy with or without grommets, between the Scottish CPG and other CPGs.