Maggots—Friend or Foe? Treating Myiasis in a Patient with Chronic Wounds

INTRODUCTION Myiasis, or the infestation of living vertebrates with dipterous (two-winged fly) larvae, can take many forms. Depending on their species, maggots will feed on living or dead tissue, liquid body substances, or even ingested food.1 The anatomical classification system of such larvae is based on the host location of infestation: sanguinivorous, cavitary, or cutaneous, including furuncular, migratory, or wound.1 While pathologic myiasis can result in significant morbidity in both humans and livestock, therapeutic myiasis has played an important role in wound debridement for centuries. This article will explore the varying forms of pathologic cutaneous myiasis and the evolving role of therapeutic myiasis by presenting the case of a patient admitted with newly identified infestation of bilateral lower extremity wounds.