An Unusual Finding of a Ladybug on Screening Colonoscopy

CASE REPORT

A ladybug was found in the transverse colon during screening colonoscopy of a 59-year-old man with no comorbidities (Figure ​(Figure1).1). More than 6,000 Coccinellidae species described are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds elsewhere in the English-speaking world. Ladybugs are cherished for being pretty, harmless, and even beneficial friends of farmers. Our ladybug “Harmonia axyridis,” a multicolored Asian-type species, was imported to North America in the early 1900s to control pest populations. Their red-orange to dull cream colors are particularly eye catching. They hibernate during the winter. Light-colored homes in wooded areas attract their attention. Bug ingestions are rarely reported but can occur even during sleep. The patient's colonoscopy preparation was 1 gallon of polyethylene glycol the evening before colonoscopy, and the colonoscopy examination was otherwise normal. His colonoscopy preparation may have helped the bug to escape from digestive enzymes in the stomach and upper small intestine.

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Figure 1.

(A–C) A ladybug found in the transverse colon during screening colonoscopy.

DISCLOSURES

Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to manuscript creation. V. Tahan is the article guarantor.

Financial disclosures: None to report.

Informed consent was obtained for this case report.