Maggot therapy

Maggot therapy is a type of biotherapy involving the introduction of live, disinfected maggots (fly larvae) into the non-healing skin and soft tissue wound(s) of a human or animal for the purpose of cleaning out the necrotic (dead) tissue within a wound (debridement) and disinfection.

There is evidence that maggot therapy may help with wound healing.

Maggot therapy improves healing in chronic ulcers.

In diabetic foot ulcers there is tentative evidence of benefit.

In 2004, the FDA cleared maggots for use as a medical device in the United States for the purpose of treatment of:

• Non-healing necrotic skin and soft tissue wounds
• Pressure ulcers
• Venous stasis ulcers
• Neuropathic foot ulcers

Non-healing traumatic or post-surgical wounds