A closer look
Welcome to modern medicine, where we've successfully looped right back to medieval insect therapy to save limbs. When pathogenic bacteria infect a chronic wound, they construct impenetrable slimy shields called biofilms that modern antibiotics literally bounce right off. Enter the humble Lucilia sericata maggot. When applied to rotting diabetic ulcers, these sterile larvae secrete highly specialized proteolytic enzymes that instantly dissolve the stubborn biofilm and consume only the dead tissue, leaving the healthy flesh completely untouched. Sometimes, the most advanced medical device on earth is just a very hungry bug.
