Therapeutic applications of blowfly maggots: A review
Talhat Munir, Muhammad Faheem Malik, Muhammad Hashim, Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi and Sana Naseem
Blowfly maggots (Diptera: Calliphoridae): greenbottle blowflies (Lucilia illustris; Meigen, L. sericata; Meigen) and blackbottle blowfly (Phormia regina; Meigen) used in maggot therapy. Necrotic wounds that are complicated and resistant to conventional treatment are treated with maggot therapy due to its effectiveness and environmental friendly nature. It is used for the treatment of traumatic wounds such as pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, neurovascular and vascular ulcers, osteomyelitis, postsurgical wound infections, and burns. Recently, maggots are produced and distributed especially and supplied to hospitals as a medical device using in medicine. There is still little research on the effectiveness of maggot therapy in comparison to other conventional treatments. We should recommend maggots therapy in hospitals due to cost effective and rapid debridement of dead tissue.
Talhat Munir, Muhammad Faheem Malik, Muhammad Hashim, Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi, Sana Naseem. Therapeutic applications of blowfly maggots: A review. J Entomol Zool Stud 2016;4(5):33-36.