Information on Maggots and How They Clean Your Wounds

When wounds fail to heal properly with conventional treatments, physicians may opt to use maggots, or fly larvae. Maggots clean wounds by eating dead, infected tissue. Maggot therapy has existed for centuries and continues to be a viable method to promote healing.

History

• Maggots have been used for centuries to heal wounds. After serving in World War I and noting the positive effects of maggots on wounds, Dr. William Baer at Johns Hopkins University studied them. He became the first to use maggots as a wound-healing therapy in the United States.

Characteristics

• Wormlike, most maggots are white and range in length from 4 to 12 mm. The maggot larval stage lasts four to seven days. Not all fly larvae are safe and effective to use when healing wounds. Some feed on live tissue as well as dead tissue. The most common species of fly used is the green blow fly.

Treatment

• Disinfected maggots are applied to the wound and kept in place with a bandage. The therapy lasts two to four days, after which the bandage and the maggots are removed. Additional treatments may be necessary before the wound is closed or grafted.

Benefits

• The benefits of using maggot therapy include their ability to dissolve dead, infected tissue. Also, maggots kill bacteria and promote quick wound healing. Maggot therapy is less expensive than surgery and can occur in the home.

FDA Approval

• Any physician in the United States may prescribe maggot therapy. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration approved the regulation of the use of maggots in wound-healing therapy. It allows the production and selling of maggots for medicinal use.