Phormia Regina - Medicinal Importance

Medicinal Importance

Phormia regina is a flesh-eating fly not usually used for medical gain. However, the maggots from the black blow fly are used in a medical practice called maggot therapy. Maggot therapy is a type of biotherapy involving the intentional introduction by a health care practitioner of live, disinfected maggots into the skin and soft tissue wound of a human or animal for the purpose of selectively cleaning out only the necrotic tissue within a wound to promote wound healing. Maggot therapy dates back to the Mayan empire, but there are no actual records of use until the early 16th century.

The use of black blow fly maggots in maggot therapy is common. After the maggots have hatched, they are carefully monitored until they reach roughly 2 to 3 mm in length; at this point they are ready for the next step. Within 24 to 36 hours of hatching, the maggots are tested for their sterility; if they pass the rigorous tests, then they may be used in maggot therapy. These maggots are placed onto a sterile piece of gauze which is laid over the wound of the patient. The maggots will proceed through the gauze to the open wound, where they will then begin their work. When they are full-grown, they leave the wound and enter the gauze for the purpose of pupating. They are then removed with the waste gauze and disposed of properly.

The use of maggot therapy is not limited to humans, but it is not a common practice with livestock. Using maggot therapy with livestock could be beneficial in many ways. In dairy cattle, it would eliminate the need to destroy milk contaminated with antibiotics. The use of antibiotics on horses can affect its gastrointestinal flora which may result in colitis. Maggot therapy would eliminate this additional stress when treating equine wounds. Treatment options for the animals of people who cannot afford expensive surgeries would be a new possibility for veterinarians using this therapy.