Live maggots are being increasingly used to clean wounds by the NHS amid the threat of antibiotic resistance threatening patients’ well-being … According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the treatment – which involves applying sterilised fly larvae to wounds to eat dead tissue – was common practice in the first half of the 20th century, but faded with the use of antibiotics in the 1940s … However, thanks to antibiotic resistance, maggots are again being used in the NHS and overseas. The paper reports that superbugs kill around 700,000 people a year, a figure predicted to reach 10 million by 2050 … read more
Tag: Maggot debridement
A molecular approach to maggot debridement therapy with Lucilia sericata and its excretions/secretions in wound healing
Chronic wounds caused by underlying physiological causes such as diabetic wounds, pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers and infected wounds affect a significant portion of the population. In order to treat chronic wounds, a strong debridement, removal of necrotic tissue, elimination of infection and stimulation of granulation tissue are required. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT), which is an alternative treatment method based on history, has been used quite widely. MDT is an efficient, simple, cost-effective and reliable biosurgery method using mostly larvae of Lucilia sericata fly species. Larvae can both physically remove necrotic tissue from the wound site and stimulate wound healing by activating molecular processes in the wound area through the enzymes they secrete. The larvae can stimulate wound healing by activating molecular processes in the wound area through enzymes in their excretions/secretions (ES). Studies have shown that ES has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, proliferative, hemostatic and tissue-regenerating effects both in vivo and in vitro. It is suggested that these effects stimulate wound healing and accelerate wound healing … read more
An Aussie Researcher Insists Maggots Are the Best Way to Heal Wounds
“Maggots are fantastic,” he says. “They eat all the dead and decaying tissue in the wound… [and] remove bacteria by eating them and digesting them, and through their excretions and secretions that they place into the wound.” … Frank explains that these “anti-microbial” properties of the humble maggot keep the infection under control and allow the body to properly heal the wound. The process is known as “debridement”: the removal of dead or infected tissue that in turn improves the healing potential of the healthy tissue. The maggot then disinfects the wound by secreting anti-bacterial substances, and stimulates the production of new, fresh capillaries over the top … read more
Effective Wound Bed Preparation Using Maggot Debridement Therapy
for Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia
An important factor in wound healing is adequate blood flow; thus patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) and complex wounds are poor healers. Primary treatment for CLI is revascularization. Wound healing can be prolonged as a consequence of cyclical protease production by necrotic tissue during the inflammatory phase of healing. Debridement of necrotic tissue is therefore necessary to reduce inflammation and progress the healing cycle, as well as to promote epithelialization and reduce risk of infection. Conventional debridement therapy can be difficult in patients with CLI because of limitations in visualizing wound margins and time effectiveness. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is a traditional debridement therapy using live, sterilized fly larvae. This study investigated MDT in patients with CLI after midfoot amputation following revascularization by endovascular therapy. The outcomes of wound bed preparation were compared with the outcomes in patients receiving conventional therapy … read more