The antimicrobial activity ofmaggots: in-vivo results.

This Dutch study reports the results of using maggots to treat Gram-positive and Gramnegative infected wounds in 16 patients, half of whom had suffered trauma. The authors stress the limitations of this trial as it was an open label, non-comparative cohort study in design, and all patients with a severe wound infection were treated with antibiotics. However, even though no definite conclusions regarding the effectiveness of maggot therapy could be drawn, useful pointers for clinical practice were reported. The mean treatment time was found to be 27 days, with a range of 11 to 83 days, and with the maggots being changed an average of seven times. Maggot therapy was found to be more effective in Gram-positive wounds. The authors conclude by discussing what is known about the mechanisms through which maggots affect wounds.