Morphological and molecular identification of maggots recovered from wounds of stray dogs

Dipteran flies have instinctive behavior to get attracted towards the wounds of live animals and carcasses where they lay eggs to develop into larval instars called maggots. During the study period, 30 maggots were collected from the wounds of four stray dogs that were brought to the referral hospital of the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur for treatment. Both morphological and molecular techniques were applied for species identification of maggots recovered from wounds. Amplification of cytochrome oxidase I gene of the maggot tegument confirmed the maggots as Chrysomya megacephala (OQ217101) while the amplification of 12S rRNA gene of the gut content of the maggots revealed the host species as Canis lupus familiaris (OQ207709). The technique may be applied as an alternative tool for the species identification of maggots while the retrieval of the host DNA from the maggot’s gut may assist in the forensic investigations.