Maggot medicine gains popularity

Maggots are fast becoming the treatment by choice for healing wounds in British hospitals. And for good reason too.

They are currently one of the most effective means of treating wounds that are infected by the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can cause life-threatening illness in hospital patients.

And the antibiotic methicillin is just one of many drugs which are being overpowered by multi-drug-resistant forms of bacteria.

This means maggots are good news for patients and hospital doctors who once lived in fear of multi-drug-resistant forms of bacteria for which there was previously precious little treatment.

Ulcer treatment
Doctors at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven and the Princess Wales Hospital in Bridgend have been experimenting with maggots for healing infected ulcers over the past few years.

"You cannot say maggots are high tech and shiny, but they sure are effective"

Dr Stephen Thomas

Dr Stephen Thomas, director of Biosurgery at Princess of Wales Hospital, said: "We have now developed Larve Bags, something like a tea bag for applying the maggots.
"This makes them much more user friendly for our patients.
"But they do take longer to work than if they are free ranging in the wound and the tea bag version is not always applicable - especially if you need a wound healed quickly."

Dr Thomas and his colleagues have published papers in medical journals on the success of maggot therapy.

All six patients suffering from venous ulcers and treated with maggots were healed more quickly and effectively than the group who were treated with the standard hydrogel dressing.

Anne Walker, a leg ulcer specialist who uses maggots for maggot debridement therapy at West Cumberland Hospital, said: "Most patients do not report any feeling of the maggots on their skin.

"But they do report a 100 per cent success rate.

"The maggots are very effective for diabetic foot ulcers too.

"I have used the maggots on patients about 150 times. Surgery is usually not an option for these patients, they just need their wound healed and cleaned.

"Because normal dressings take weeks or even months to help a wound to heal and the maggots only a few days, most patients are happy to try the maggots."

She added: "When a wound is painful and smells, patients want fast treatment."

Maggots are great
According to Alan Hughes, 60, a patient of Dr Walker: "Maggots are great. They do the job."

Mr Hughes was admitted to West Cumberland Hospital two years ago for bed rest after a fall that caused ulcers in both his legs.