This photo shows the small cyst from which an unfortunate young fellow in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province squeezed out a maggot on August 18.

The 29-year-old man, surnamed Chen, said he awoke three days earlier to find his skin swollen, itchy and achy – all signs that he dismissed as those of a garden-variety mosquito bite.

However, after squeezing it a bit, the skin broke open and a tiny white worm emerged, still alive and kicking.

Chen hightailed to his local clinic where his doctor, Tao Chengjun, confirmed that the four-millimeter-long worm was indeed a maggot.

Chen was then informed that he’s hardly the first one to endure such a grotesque physical malady – that there’s even a term, myiasis, to describe the phenomenon of flies or other insects depositing their eggs under the skin of humans or animals.

Doctors told Chen that the issue occurs far more frequently in rugged or wild areas and to people with common exposure to animals; Chen admitted that he has a dog and lives in a relatively remote, hilly area. The doctors then recommended Chen check himself for other wounds.