Maggot

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Maggot

Maggot (/ˈmæɡ.ət/), derived from the Middle English word 'maggot', is a term commonly used to refer to the larval stage of a fly that is in the order Diptera.

Etymology

The term "maggot" is derived from the Middle English word 'maggot', which means a soft, legless larva of a fly or other insect, found in decaying matter.

Description

Maggots are typically found in decaying organic matter, such as dead animals or rotting food. They are small, white, and worm-like in appearance. They are the larval stage of flies, including the common housefly (Musca domestica) and the bluebottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria).

Life Cycle

The life cycle of a maggot begins when a female fly lays her eggs on a suitable food source. The eggs hatch into maggots, which feed on the decaying matter. After a period of intense feeding and growth, the maggots pupate and transform into adult flies.

Medical Use

In medicine, maggots have been used for maggot therapy, a type of biotherapy involving the introduction of live, disinfected maggots 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.

Related Terms

  • Larva: The immature, wingless, and often wormlike feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects.
  • Diptera: An order of insects that includes flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and their relatives, characterized by a single pair of wings and sucking or piercing mouths.
  • Decomposition: The process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic matter.
  • Biotherapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease.

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