Maggot Wrangler

Yamni Nigam studies how maggots can help heal wounds

© G. WATSON/SCIENCE SOURCE (MAGGOTS); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (FLY)

LIVING MEDICINE: These medicinal maggots are the larval form of the green bottle blowfly.

Maggots are often found crawling in trash or feeding on dead animals. Many people find these wormlike creatures icky. Not Yamni Nigam. She knows that these wriggling larvae, which are the immature form of flies, can save people’s lives.

YAMNI NIGAM/SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

BABY-BUG EXPERT: Nigam teaches health professionals and others about the wonders of maggots.

Usually, the human body can repair wounds on its own. But illnesses like cancer and diabetes can cause wounds to heal more slowly. This makes them vulnerable to infections, which can be deadly. That’s where maggots come in.

Nigam is a professor of biomedical science at Swansea University in the United Kingdom. She’s an expert in maggot therapy, the use of medicinal maggots to clean wounds. Medicinal maggots can quickly consume dead and infected tissue, allowing healthy tissue to grow so wounds can close.

Still, there’s a “yuck factor” surrounding medicinal maggots, says Nigam. As an advocate for maggot therapy and the founder of Swansea’s “Love a Maggot” campaign, she’s determined to change that. Nigam spoke with Science World about the healing power of these creepy-crawlies.

How are medicinal maggots different from ordinary maggots?

Unlike wild maggots, medicinal maggots are raised in labs under sterile conditions, free from germs, so they’re incredibly clean. The species we use is called Lucilia sericata, also known as the green bottle blowfly. It can’t survive on living tissue. That makes it perfect for therapy, because it works quickly and precisely to remove only the dead or infected parts of the wound, leaving other areas alone.

How do medicinal maggots clean wounds?

Doctors or nurses place the maggots in a small mesh bag on the injured area. At this point, the insects are newly hatched and about the size of a grain of rice. The bag is left in place for four to seven days while the maggots consume any dead tissue.

Maggots don’t have teeth, so they don’t chew. Instead, their saliva contains enzymes that break down tissue outside the bag, making it easier for them to digest. These enzymes contain bacteria-fighting molecules that disinfect the wound and promote healing. Just a few days of maggot therapy can save an infected limb from having to be amputated, or surgically removed. It can even prevent someone from dying from an infection.

YAMNI NIGAM/SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

POUCH OF MAGGOTS: A mesh bag containing maggots is placed on a wound in need of cleaning.

How did you first get interested in this work?

I’ve always been fascinated by insects. I have a Ph.D. in medical entomology, and my research focused on diseases insects can transmit. When I started teaching anatomy, I learned about maggot therapy and how people had been using it for centuries. Many ancient cultures, including the Maya people who lived in Central America thousands of years ago, relied on maggots to help heal wounds. So I set up a maggot research group to look more closely at the science behind this therapy.

Now I teach students and health professionals about maggots. I also run a lab focused on researching these amazing insects. I start every day by saying hello to the flies and making sure they’re laying eggs. I still love other bugs—I even have pet stick insects—but maggots are my favorite!

What’s the goal of the “Love a Maggot” campaign?

Lots of people—even nurses and doctors—are squeamish about maggots. It’s the “Creepy-Crawly Syndrome.” The goal of the campaign is to change that perception by showing people just how amazing maggots are.

We do a lot of events where we talk to the public and health-care professionals about the therapy. We also visit elementary schools, where we let students hold sterile maggots in their hands. Many kids say the maggots look and feel like tiny caterpillars.

YAMNI NIGAM/SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

MAGGOT AMBASSADOR: Nigam introduces students to medicinal maggots.

What would you say to people who are squeamish about maggots?

Try looking at this little creature in a different way. Maggots are nature at its very best. In nature, maggots are doing something amazing: helping get rid of decaying things in the environment. By utilizing the maggots’ natural cleanup skills and the amazing enzymes in their saliva, we can heal wounds and even save lives.

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