Editing Maggot

{{short description|Larva of a fly}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
[[File:Decomposing possum.jpg|thumb|Maggots feeding on an [[opossum]] [[carrion]]]]
[[File:Decomposition00.jpg|thumb|Maggots on a [[porcupine]] carcass]]
[[File:Likmaskar från Kanin - Ystad-2021.jpg|thumb|Maggots from a [[rabbit]].]]
[[File:Common wild pig (boar) corpse decomposition timelapse in 4K 13SpAUlZ6Qc.webm|thumb|Common wild pig (boar) corpse decomposition timelapse. Maggots are visible.]]
A '''maggot''' is the [[larva]] of a [[fly]] (order [[Fly|Diptera]]); it is applied in particular to the larvae of [[Brachycera]] flies, such as [[Housefly|houseflies]], [[Piophilidae|cheese flies]], and [[Calliphoridae|blowflies]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maggot |title=Definition of MAGGOT |website=merriam-webster.com |language=en |access-date=29 January 2017}}</ref> rather than larvae of the [[Nematocera]], such as [[mosquito]]es and [[Tipuloidea|crane flies]].

==Etymology==
"Maggot" is not a technical term and should not be taken as such; in many standard textbooks of [[entomology]], it does not appear in the index at all.<ref>Comstock, John Henry, An Introduction to Entomology. Comstock publishing, 1930.</ref><ref name="bn0-412-61390-5">{{cite book |author1=Richards, O. W. |author2=Davies, R. G. |title=Imms' General Textbook of Entomology: Volume 1: Structure, Physiology and Development Volume 2: Classification and Biology |publisher=Springer |location=Berlin |year=1977 |isbn=0-412-61390-5}}</ref> In many non-technical texts, the term is used for insect [[larvae]] in general. Other sources have coined their own definitions; for example: "The term applies to a [[Beetle#Larva|grub]] when all trace of limbs has disappeared"<ref>Jardine, N. K. The Dictionary of Entomology. 1913.</ref> and "Applied to the footless larvae of Diptera".<ref name="JBSmith">Smith, John. B. [https://archive.org/details/explanationofter22748gut Explanation of terms used in entomology]. Brooklyn Entomological Society, 1906.</ref> Additionally, in ''Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera'', the author claims maggots "are larvae of higher Brachycera ([[Cyclorrhapha]])."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Stephen A |title=Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera |date=2012 |publisher=Firefly Books Ltd. |isbn=978-1-77085-100-9 |page=22}}</ref>

Maggot-like fly larvae are of significance in [[ecology]] and [[medicine]]; among other roles, various species are prominent in recycling [[carrion]] and garbage, attacking [[Tephritidae|crops]] and [[Piophilidae|foodstuffs]], spreading microbial infections, and causing [[myiasis]]. Maggots are also particularly important in [[forensic entomology]] because their development can help determine the time of death, particularly maggots in the [[Calliphoridae]] family.<ref>{{cite book
 | last1 = Greenberg
 | first1 = Bernard
 | last2 = Kunich
 | first2 = John Charles
 | title = Entomology and the Law: Flies as Forensic Indicators
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | date = 2002
 | location = New York
 | language = en
 | isbn = 978-0-521-01957-6}}</ref>

==Uses==

===Fishing===
[[Fisherman|Angler]]s use maggots usually commercially supplied to catch non-predatory fish.
Maggots are the most popular [[fishing bait|bait]] for anglers in [[Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=MAGGOTS – THE PERFECT FISHING BAIT |url=https://www.anglingtimes.co.uk/advice/bait/maggots-the-perfect-fishing-bait/ |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=Angling Times|date=29 January 2014 }}</ref> Anglers throw handfuls into the "swim" they are targeting, attracting the fish to the area. The anglers then use the largest or most attractive maggots on the hook, hoping to be irresistible to the fish. Commercial maggot breeders from the [[UK]] sell their maggots to tackle dealers throughout the [[E.U.]] and [[North America]].

Artificial maggots for fishing, either in natural or fluorescent colors, have been developed and are used for trout, panfish, or salmon species.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lance |date=2021-11-09 |title=Pink Maggots for Fishing Bait |url=https://kokanee.fish/pink-maggots-for-fishing-bait/ |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=Kokanee Fishing |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Medical treatment===
{{Main|Maggot therapy}}

Live maggots of certain species of flies have been used since antiquity for wound [[debridement]]. Larvae of [[Calliphoridae|calliphorid]] flies of the species ''[[Common green bottle fly|Lucilia sericata]]'' are widely used.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sherman, R. A. |title=Maggot therapy takes us back to the future of wound care: new and improved maggot therapy for the 21st century |journal=J. Diabetes Sci. Technol. |volume= 3 |issue= 2 |pages= 336–344 |date=March 2009|doi=10.1177/193229680900300215 |pmid=20144365 |pmc=2771513 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Not all species are safe and effective; use of the wrong species would invite [[Pathology|pathological]] [[myiasis]].<ref>{{cite book |author=James, M. T. |title=The Flies That Cause Myiasis in Man |url=https://archive.org/details/fliesthatcausemy631jame |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture |location=Washington D.C. |year=1947}}</ref>

In controlled and sterile settings overseen by [[medical practitioner]]s, [[maggot therapy]] introduces live, [[disinfect]]ed maggots into non-healing skin or soft wounds of a human or animal. They feed on the dead or [[Necrosis|necrotic]] tissue, leaving sound tissue largely unharmed. Studies have also shown that maggots kill bacteria. Three midgut lysozymes of ''L.&nbsp;sericata'' have antibacterial effects in maggot debridement therapy. The study demonstrated that the majority of [[gram-positive bacteria]] were destroyed in vivo within the particular section of the ''L.&nbsp;sericata'' midgut where lysozymes are produced. During the passage through the intestine of the maggots, the ability of bacteria to survive drastically decreased, implying the antibacterial action of the three midgut lysozymes.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Valachova, I. |title=Midgut lysozymes of Lucilia sericata – new antimicrobials involved in maggot debridement therapy |journal=Insect Molecular Biology |volume= 23 |issue= 6 |pages= 779–787 |year=2014|doi=10.1111/imb.12122 |pmid=25098233 |s2cid=39079130 }}</ref> In 2005 maggot therapy was being used in about 1,300 medical centers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maggot debridement therapy|first=Vanessa|last=Ngan|website=DermNet |url=https://dermnetnz.org/topics/maggot-debridement-therapy |date=2005}}</ref>

Apprehension from healthcare workers has inhibited acceptance, but a supplier of maggots said in 2022 that she had noticed significantly more acceptance over the four years she had worked in the field. Acceptance among patients is high.<ref>{{cite news| last=Tait | first=Amelia | title=Medieval medicine: the return to maggots and leeches to treat ailments |newspaper=The Guardian | date=26 February 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/feb/26/the-return-to-medieval-medicine-to-treat-ailments}}</ref>

===Forensic science===
The presence and development of maggots on a [[corpse]] are useful in the estimation of time elapsed since death. Depending on the species and the conditions, maggots may be observed on a body within 24 hours. The eggs are laid directly on the food source, and when the eggs hatch, the maggots move towards their preferred conditions and begin to feed. By studying the insects present at a crime scene, [[forensic entomology|forensic entomologists]] can determine the approximate time of death. Insects are usually useful after a [[post-mortem interval]] (PMI) of approximately 25–80 hours, depending on ambient conditions. After this interval, this method becomes less reliable. Blow flies are often used in forensic entomology to determine PMI because of their [[oviposition]] on carrion and corpses. The black blowfly, ''[[Phormia regina]] (P. regina),'' is extremely widespread across the US and often the earliest species to oviposit on a corpse, making it especially important to forensic science.<ref>Catts, E P; Goff, M L (January 1992). "Forensic Entomology in Criminal Investigations". ''Annual Review of Entomology''. '''37''' (1): 253–272. [[Digital object identifier|doi]]:10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.001345. [[PubMed Identifier|PMID]] 1539937.</ref>

Maggots are useful as well in [[entomotoxicology]], in determining the presence of drugs in a corpse's system. Maggots bioaccumulate xenobiotics (substances, drugs, metals, etc.) from tissue and bone, therefore allowing entomologists to determine if xenobiotics, most commonly drugs, were present in the body before death.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY : THE USE OF INSECTS |url=https://www.sfu.ca/~ganderso/forensicentomology.htm |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=www.sfu.ca}}</ref> This is useful in concluding a cause of death in many different cases including overdoses and poisonings. It also helps in determining manner of death including suicide or homicides.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Arora |first1=Shuchi |last2=Baptista |first2=Carl |last3=Lim |first3=Chu Sing |date=2011-02-07 |title=Maggot metabolites and their combinatory effects with antibiotic on Staphylococcus aureus |journal=Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=6 |doi=10.1186/1476-0711-10-6 |issn=1476-0711 |pmc=3044109 |pmid=21299858 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Maggots are able to bioaccumulate substances from fresh corpses, as well as fully decomposed skeletonized bodies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pounder |first=Derrick J. |date=July 1991 |title=Forensic entomo-toxicology |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0015736891731897 |journal=Journal of the Forensic Science Society |language=en |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=469–472 |doi=10.1016/S0015-7368(91)73189-7|pmid=1797976 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Data and resources on entomotoxicology are sparse as it is a relatively new field of study.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pounder |first=Derrick J. |date=July 1991 |title=Forensic entomo-toxicology |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0015736891731897 |journal=Journal of the Forensic Science Society |language=en |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=469–472 |doi=10.1016/S0015-7368(91)73189-7|pmid=1797976 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The knowledge of how the drug or substance effects the development of maggots is necessary as some drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine are proven to accelerate the development of larvae, whereas opiates are shown to decelerate said rate.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magni |first1=Paola |last2=Conversation |first2=The |title=Flies, maggots and methamphetamine: How insects can reveal drugs and poisons at crime scenes |url=https://phys.org/news/2022-03-flies-maggots-methamphetamine-insects-reveal.html |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref>

==Behaviours==
[[File:Myiasis 1.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Myiasis in a dog's flesh]]
As with [[flea]]s and [[tick]]s, maggots can be a threat to household pets and [[livestock]], especially [[sheep]]. Flies [[reproduce]] rapidly in the summer months, and maggots can come in large numbers, creating a maggot infestation and a high risk of [[myiasis]] (a maggot infestation of living tissue) in sheep and other animals. Humans are not immune to the feeding habits of maggots and can also contract myiasis. Interaction between humans and maggots usually occurs near [[garbage can]]s, dead animals, rotten food and other suitable egg-laying substrates for flies with detritivorous larvae.

Many of the families of flies with "maggot" larvae can reach very high population densities through [[exponential growth]], but in natural conditions without human interference, predators, parasites, and food availability keep the population under control. Sealing [[waste|garbage]] and using a [[garbage disposal]] or freezing rotting leftovers until waste collection day helps prevent infestation. Introducing an environmental control, such as [[Histeridae|hister beetles]], can also help reduce maggot populations.

== See also ==
* [[Caterpillars]]
* [[Polychaete]]
* [[Worm]]
* [[Maggot farming]]
* [[Myiasis]]

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Maggots}}

[[Category:Fly biology]]
[[Category:Insect developmental biology]]
[[Category:Larvae]]
[[Category:Coprophagous insects]]
[[Category:Insects in culture]]
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