Abstract
Several chronic wounds require alternative therapy in addition to the conventional ones. Maggot therapy (MT) is one of these alternatives. MT is one form of animal-based treatment options known as Biotherapy (medicinal use of live organisms). MT or Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is the medical use of live maggots for cleaning chronic, non-healing wounds or certain wounds that are not amenable to other forms of therapy. MT is achieved through maggots' secretion of proteolytic enzymes that liquefy the necrotic tissues and then feed on such tissues (wound debridement activity), wound disinfection (antimicrobial) activity and growth-promoting (wound healing) activity. MT has been used for centuries. Occasionally used since the 1930’s and early 1940’s and then in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved maggots as a medical device that has been prescribed for patients in more than 200 hospitals in the United States. This article presents a review of published articles on the different aspects of MT (mainly the past and current uses, maggots used, how to apply maggots for wound treatments, advantages and disadvantages, problems and adverse reactions and its application in Egypt) that serves as a guide to health professionals who may be users of this form of treatment now and in the future
Highlights
The known beneficial applications of myiasis are: (1) the use of maggots that feed on human corpses to give an indication of the time that elapsed since death, as well as the place of death “Forensic Entomology” or the legal use of such maggots to help solve crimes (Byrd and Castner, 2010)) and (2) for treatment of wounds “Maggot therapy (Bonn, 2000 and Thomas, 2003)
Maggot therapy (MT) is one form of animal-based treatment options known as Biotherapy which includes those of the honey bee (Apitherapy),leech (Hirudotherapy), fish (Ich thiotherapy), worm (Helmitherapy), pets (Animal-assisted therapy) and Phage (Microbialtherapy)
Maggot therapy can be applied to most cavity wounds, they are not recommended for use in wounds that might connect with the body cavity or important internal structures or organs
Summary
Maggots or fly larvae (Order Diptera) are often highly specialized for living in a wet environment and very few are adapted to dry conditions. When maggots infest humans or other vertebrates, it is called myiasis. Myiasis is classified based on the type of tissue attacked or the site of infestation (Hosni et al, 2019). The naturally-occurring myiasis can be beneficial, but sometimes it can be harmful, depending upon the type of maggots and the circumstances surrounding the infestation. The known beneficial applications of myiasis are: (1) the use of maggots that feed on human corpses to give an indication of the time that elapsed since death, as well as the place of death “Forensic Entomology” or the legal use of such maggots to help solve crimes (Byrd and Castner, 2010)) and (2) for treatment of wounds “Maggot therapy (Bonn, 2000 and Thomas, 2003)
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