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Know More About Maggot Therapy

Maggots are small creatures like flies or caterpillars and fall in category of butterflies or moths. They hatch from eggs which are laid by adult female flies. It was believed about 150 years ago that they appear by themselves.

There are many species of flies, which can be used, but all cannot be employed for medicinal purposes. Every fly has its own habitat and has a lifecycle of its own too. They feed on variety of stuff like dead animals and other organic matter. When they feed on other animals it is termed as myiasis.

Some of them nourish themselves only on dead tissues while some others on dead and live alike. The flies which are deployed for use in maggot therapy are called blow flies and are green in color. These are small flies but when used for medicinal  purposes they work wonders. These days such flies too are cultivated in specific environment and can be used for medical purposes as and when required.

History of Maggots Used For Therapy

For centuries maggots have been used to treat the wounds. MDT therapy which is Magot Debridement therapy which was used in hospitals in the initial years. With the development of antibiotics its used was hampered for some time but again after few years it again came in picture. Today it is used in the whole world and is considered to be the best possible treatment these days. Several patients have been treated with this method and results are outstanding.

The Maggot Therapy Procedure (MDT)

Maggots are grown in bottle and are used in dressing in the form of cage or network. They are taken in the net and are not allowed to escape from there. But air is essential to their growth so air is allowed to reach them through the dressing. Sterile maggots are used to treat some diseases and have shown better results too. Another method called biobag was used as an experimental treatment and alcohol was taken along with in the dressing. These maggots eat away the germs in the wounds and thus help recovery.

They could feed through the dressing on the affected area. There was no need of caged dressing in this case and the bags could be directly used on the wounds. These bags reduce pain and provide comfort to the patient. Care should be taken so as the maggots don’t escape from the bags but even if this happens they would help to keep up the hospital hygiene.

Who Can Use Maggot Therapy?

Maggots can be used for silly disease of skin or even on the hospital patients. They are deployed used for burns, ulcers and other kinds of simple to harsh diseases. They prove to be beneficial even in case of diabetic patients. Again they can be used on any kind of living or non-living tissue.

New layers of healthy tissue is formed above the old one and hence in healing of the open would forming a web like structure filling the gaps in the diseased section of wound.