58-year-old woman sneezed out a 1-inch worm after a week of sinus pain — what doctors discovered inside her nose stunned them
Any kind of health inconvenience, whether major or minor, deserves careful attention and should never be overlooked, especially when it involves elderly individuals, who may be more vulnerable to complications. According to a New York Post report from Wednesday, April 8, 2026, a woman in Greece experienced pain in the nasal passage area last year, which was followed by severe coughing for weeks. After nearly a month, she ended up sneezing out an inch-long worm. But when she later went to the doctor for a checkup, what was revealed shocked everyone.
The 58-year-old, whose name has not been disclosed, was working outside in the dry September heat last year. There was a field next to her where sheep were grazing, and many flies were buzzing around her face. Although she initially ignored it, she later began experiencing pain in her sinuses, air-filled spaces within the facial bones connected to the nasal cavity. She also had “severe coughing” for weeks until October 15, 2025, when she sneezed out a worm. Later, during a consultation with an ear, nose, and throat specialist, 10 larvae and one pupa (an intermediate stage between larva and adult insect) were found in the sinuses on the side of her nose and were surgically removed.
The patient was diagnosed with O. ovis nasal myiasis with pupation, as per a medical report. A DNA test was later conducted on the dislodged species, one nearly an inch long, which confirmed they were baby sheep bot flies (Oestrus ovis), parasites known to inhabit the nasal passages of sheep and goats. Although this parasite does not usually make the human body its host, such cases have been documented, usually affecting the eyes, mouth, or nose.
In past cases, the larvae were not able to progress beyond the first stage and develop into full worm-like forms. However, reports from recent years suggest that larvae can continue to develop in humans. These risks increase when a person has a weakened immune system or traumatic or anatomical abnormalities, that is, deviations from the typical body structure caused by genetic or environmental factors.
It was found that the woman in whose body the flies had bred had a severely crooked nasal bone (septum), due to which these parasites could not make their way to the nasal passage and remained confined in the sinuses. There, they could develop and reach the pupation stage. Scientists, however, noted that such a process is highly unusual, even in typical animal hosts like sheep. According to the medical report, later-stage larvae trapped in the animals' sinuses do not transform into pupae, but instead dry up, liquefy, or calcify, leading to "bacterial superinfection."
In the Greek woman’s case, doctors believed her deviated septum played a key role, as it altered the sinus environment and created conditions that allowed the larvae to take hold. Researchers also suggest that the woman's severe cold was an early sign that the bot fly found on sheep was mutating into a human bot fly. Fortunately, the woman made a full recovery, and none of her coworkers reported experiencing similar symptoms.
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