Maggot Therapy: The Science and Implication for CAM Part I-History and Bacterial Resistance

Abstract

It is now a universally acknowledged fact that maggot therapy can be used successfully to treat chronic, long-standing, infected wounds, which have previously failed to respond to conventional treatment. Such wounds are typically characterized by the presence of necrotic tissue, underlying infection and poor healing. Maggot therapy employs the use of freshly emerged, sterile larvae of the common green-bottle fly, Phaenicia (Lucilia) sericata, and is a form of artificially induced myiasis in a controlled clinical situation. In this review article, we will discuss the role of maggots and their preparation for clinical use. Maggot therapy has the following three core beneficial effects on a wound: debridement, disinfection and enhanced healing. In part I we explore our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying these effects.

Figure 1

Wound before maggot debridement therapy. This wound, covered with a thick layer of slough, failed to respond to conventional treatment over 18 months.

Figure 2

Wound following three applications of maggots. The wound is completely free of slough and rich with granulation tissue.