Maggot medicine gains popularity

Essay by dimsy December 2003

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Medicine

Maggot medicine gains popularity

Treatment of wounds using maggots is the latest breakthrough mechanism that is being used in British hospitals. Maggot treatment is really effective in treatment of patients whose lives have been endangered by life-threatening illness caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This can be a lead for treatment for other drug resistant bacteria as well.

Experiments have been carried out in Princess Wales Hospital using maggots in the form of bags similar to tea bags for ulcer treatment. This bag treatment is definitely slower than the treatment by free-form maggots but is far more effective and faster than the standard hydrogel dressing treatment.

Patient response and endorsements by ulcer specialists like Anne Walker would go a long way in acceptance of maggots as a treatment alternative both fast, and effective. This is precisely the requirement of lot of ulcer patients who need fast treatment for their painful and smelling wounds.

Feedback from patients like Alan Hughes, a patient of Dr Walker, who had tried absolutely everything to treat his non-healing ulcers on his legs is a testimony to the above views.

Maggots which are used for the wound treatment are specially cultivated, green brownfly type and of sterile nature. Proteolytic enzymes secreted by these maggots break down dead tissue that turns into a soup consumed by them.

But hold on, maggot treatment does not come cheap as compared to the typical surgical dressing and is about 10 times costlier. But this has not barred patients from adopting this form of treatment for their infectious wounds just so that they could get back to their wards with other people.

Following the success of maggot treatment a large-scale follow-up trial is currently awaiting Medical Research Council. This will go a long way in establishing the efficacy...