Maggots to be Tested as MRSA Treatment

With MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infections on the rise, doctors are (re)turning to maggots as a vital germ-killing weapon. Maggots - fly larvae - are remarkably efficient at cleaning up infected wounds, by eating dead tissue and killing off bacteria that block the healing process.

In a bid to prove the case for maggots conclusively, Dr Pauline Raynor of the University of York is recruiting 600 patients across Britain for the world's biggest ever maggot trial.

Her three-year study is being keenly watched by doctors and wound care specialists around the globe.

One third of patients -- selected at random -- will be treated with loose maggots, held in place by a dressing; one third with maggots contained in a gauze bag; and one third with hydrogel, a standard wound-cleaning therapy.