Maggot Therapy Used to Clean Wounds in Select U.S. Hospitals

Medicinal maggots are the larvae of flies raised in laboratories to be germ-free. They are classified by the FDA as cleared medical devices and are shipped overnight in vials or sachets for wound care. Polly Cleveland of New York City ordered maggots in 2023 for her late husband after he developed a heel sore and a bedsore following a hospital stay.

She placed the larvae on the wounds, which removed dead tissue and left clean pink tissue, she said.

How the Treatment Works Dr.

Ronald Sherman, medical and scientific director at Cuprina, said the maggots secrete enzymes that dissolve only dead infected tissue. Healthy tissue remains, and the process does not require anesthesia. Dr. David Armstrong at the University of Southern California used the method during the pandemic for a patient whose foot surgery was canceled.

Nurses applied the maggots at home while Armstrong supervised by video call, and the patient avoided further foot loss.

Lisa Baxter, clinical director at Tufts Medical Center, said her team applies maggot therapy once or twice a year for patients awaiting transplants or unable to have surgery. She noted the larvae avoid the bacterium Pseudomonas, so wounds must be tested before use.

Dr. Sameer Patel at Temple University Hospital said the treatment is not standard care and lacks high-quality data for wider adoption. Sherman said insurance reimbursement is inadequate and some physicians decline to prescribe it due to patient appearance.

Larry Way of Malden, Massachusetts, received the therapy at Tufts Medical Center in 2021 after other treatments failed. He said the process was painless and helped stabilize his condition.