What are the risks of maggot therapy?

There have been no signs of significant risks or side effects such as infections, in connection with clinical use of sterile maggots of the blue-bottle fly or blow-fly Lucilia Sericata. However, flies, like all creatures, are not sterile and they prefer a rather germ-ridden environment such as rotting fruit or garbage. All the same, a maggot must be germ-free before it can be used to heal a wound. Hygiene is thus the biggest challenge for maggot breeding. The answer is to use a mild chemical solution to gently clean the bacteria off the eggs without harming the embryos.

Maggots for medical treatment come from special nurseries and are bred under controlled conditions in a completely sterile environment just for medical purposes. Thus there is no danger of bacterially induced infection of the maggot-treated wounds. Maggots also produce very potent enzymes. Although these enzymes concentrate almost exclusively on decomposing dead tissues, under certain circumstances they can cause irritation of healthy tissues, especially of the skin. This occurs only when too many maggots are used or if they are left on the wound too long after they have successfully destroyed the dead tissue.

Crucially, maggot therapy must only be used under hygienic conditions and under the care of skilled technicians. After a while, however, if the hygienic conditions are correct, family members or even the patient can be trained following specific instructions to continue the therapy at home.