Maggot Therapy for Wound Healing: A Historical and Modern Perspective

While the technique has been used for at least a century, recently doctors have been reexamining maggot therapy as an alternative method to remove dead tissue from wounds and ulcers. In this therapy, maggots from the common green-bottle fly are sterilized and used to consume the tissue before removal.

History

• Wound improvement due to maggot infestation has been noted as early as the 16th century, and was described by Baron Dominic Larrey, Napoleon̵7;s battlefield surgeon, in 1829. This was not intentional infestation of the tissue, but rather observation of naturally infested wounds.

Speed of Cleaning

• A study by Soares et al. in the medical journal BMJ found that maggot therapy cleaned wounds a statistically-insignificant 2.42 days faster than comparative hydrogel therapy.

Speed of Healing

• No statistical difference in the speed of wound healing due to maggot therapy use has been observed, even though the wound is cleaned out faster.

Cost

• The Soares study found average costs to be 40 British pounds/day higher for maggot therapy over hydrogels, though this was found to be statistically insignificant as well.

Drug Resistance

• While use among normal patients may be no better than mainstream treatments, maggot treatment is a useful alternative to disinfect tissue that has become resistant to antibiotics.