Maggots therapy in facilitating wound debridement: Present status

An ancient remedy, Maggots debridement therapy was reintroduced by William. S. Baer, an orthopedic surgeon who worked at John Hopkins Hospital at Baltimore, Maryland. Maggot debridement therapy is a popular technique for wound debridement. It is considered cheap and safe form of therapy to prepare healthy wound bed. Major constraints are unavailability of sterile/medical grade maggots. A 56-year-old male patient presented with a wound on leg containing maggots. This acted as a trigger to review and search literature about the present status of maggot therapy. Although, this form of therapy is a commonly practiced in Europe and North America, others needed to have a relook at this modality in view of the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance to infections.