Chapter 24.3, Problem 1CSR

Physicians’ Assistants

Another invertebrate animal that has been recruited for medical duty is the blowfly or, more precisely, blowfly larvae, commonly known as maggots (FIG. 24-32). Blowfly maggots have proved to be effective at ridding wounds and ulcers of dead and dying tissue. If such tissue is not removed, it can interfere with healing or lead to infection. Traditionally, dead tissue in wounds is removed by a physician wielding a scalpel, but maggots offer an increasingly common alternative treatment. In this treatment, a bandage containing day-old, sterile maggots is applied to the wound. The maggots consume dead or dying tissue, secreting digestive enzymes that do not harm healthy skin or bone. After a few days, the maggots have grown to the size of rice kernels and are removed. The treatment is repeated until the wound is clean.

FIGURE 24-32 Blowfly maggots can clean wounds