Research: Ointment in the fly

Substances produced by greenbottle (Lucilia sericata) larvae may accelerate skin wound healing.

Before the use of antibiotics in the mid-20th century, the larval form of L. sericata (the blowfly maggot) was one way in which dead tissue from a wound could be removed. Some historical reports claimed – and recent clinical reports have confirmed – that maggots not only cleaned the wound but also helped to regenerate the tissue.

A general distaste for live maggots may deter patients from this form of therapy. But now, scientists at the University of Bradford have created a new method of larval biotherapy that does away with the need for live maggots at the point of treatment.

Stephen Britland and Annie Smith, together with colleagues David Pritchard from the University of Nottingham and Donald Eagland from AGT Sciences Ltd, have confirmed that products released by blowfly larvae have similar beneficial effects to live maggots when administered via a water-based hydrogel.

They also suggest that the hydrogel application may have wider use as a general method of treating skin wounds with insect by-products.

This research grew from an exchange of ideas between Stephen Britland and David Pritchard, during a Wellcome Trust Showcase awardees' meeting in London in 2003. The two have also continued to investigate other components of insect secretions with potentially exciting therapeutic applications.

External link

• Smith AG et al. Greenbottle (Lucilia sericata) larval secretions delivered from a prototype hydrogel wound dressing accelerate the closure of model wounds. Biotechnol Prog 2006;22(6):1690–6.