Maggot therapy
Maggot Therapy
Maggot therapy (pronunciation: /ˈmæɡ.ət θerəpi/), also known as larval therapy, biotherapy, or biodebridement, is a type of medical treatment that involves the introduction of live, disinfected maggots into the non-healing skin and soft tissue wounds of a human or animal for the purpose of cleaning out the necrotic (dead) tissue within a wound (debridement) and disinfection.
Etymology
The term "maggot therapy" is derived from the word "maggot", which refers to the larval stage of a fly, and "therapy", which is derived from the Greek word "therapeia" meaning "healing". The term "biotherapy" is derived from the Greek words "bios" meaning "life" and "therapeia".
History
Maggot therapy has been used since antiquity as a wound treatment. There are reports of its use by Mayan civilization and Aboriginal tribes in Australia. In the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II, surgeons observed that soldiers whose wounds became infested with maggots experienced significantly less morbidity and mortality than soldiers with similar wounds not infested with maggots.
Procedure
In maggot therapy, maggots of the species Lucilia sericata (the common green bottle fly) are used. The maggots are sterilized and then placed into the wound, where they consume dead tissue and leave healthy tissue untouched. The maggots also secrete enzymes that help to kill bacteria, reducing the risk of infection.
Related Terms
- Debridement: The removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound.
- Necrosis: The death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury, or failure of the blood supply.
- Biodebridement: A type of debridement that uses biological agents, such as maggots, to remove dead tissue from a wound.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Maggot therapy
- Wikipedia's article - Maggot therapy
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