Maggots ‘n’ chips: a novel approach to the treatment of diabetic ulcers

The management of diabetic ulcers presents a particular problem to the healthcare professional as these wounds become easily infected and often show little propensity to heal, leading in many cases to an amputation. The application of sterile maggots in a new presentation called the Biofoam Dressing transformed a longstanding MRSA infected amputation site into a clean granulating wound in one treatment. Further multiple applications of maggots to the newly cleansed wound were associated with the rapid development of granulation tissue and the elimination of the MRSA. Based upon our experience, it is proposed that, in the absence of effective conventional treatments for infected diabetic foot ulcers, the use of this technique should be considered as a first line therapy for all such wounds.