The use of sterile maggots in wound management

Learned today that this is a thing. The joys of being on psych consult!

• It’s long been recognized that opportunistic infestations by maggots of wounds sustained in battle can prevent infections or even septicemia
• It was widely used until early 1940s when antibiotics were introduced
• How it works:
• Debridement due to maggots’ production of enzymes including collagenases, chymotrypsin-like & trypsin-like enzymes
• Disinfecting of the wound via their anti-microbial secretions
• Stimulates wound healing possibly by stimulating fibroblasts
• It’s like the super early version of wound vacs…with anti-microbial properties.