Doctors cured a 46-year-old diabetic man’s infected foot using maggots, honey and human placenta after regular antibiotics failed to work.
Foot ulcers are a common complication of diabetes. Poor circulation, nerve damage, and high blood pressure can make people with diabetes prone to ulcers.
When the patient presented to a hospital in Iran, the pressure wound on his heel, 7 cm long, had been present for approximately six months.
Although the patient had already tried to cure the infection with conventional treatments such as wound cleansing and antibiotic therapy, these did not work.
Instead, doctors treated the infected wound using unusual methods, some of which are available on the NHS.
Doctors cured a 46-year-old diabetic man’s infected foot using worms, honey and human placenta
After the larval therapy, the wound was covered with Med-honey, a specialized honey with proven antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The case study Case reports published in the International Journal of Surgery revealed that wound cultures from the patient, who had a 15-year history of type 2 diabetes, had a multidrug-resistant bacterial infection.
Doctors removed dead tissue from the man’s heel to create a clean area for the skin to heal.
The patient then underwent four rounds of maggot therapy, a treatment that may sound extreme but is sometimes used by NHS doctors to combat infections.
Also known as maggot debridement therapy, specialists use greenfly larvae that feed on dead tissue and release chemicals that break down bacteria and stimulate the healing process.
When the patient presented to a hospital in Iran, the pressure wound on the heel (7 cm long) had already been present for about six months, but after three months of treatment the wound healed.
These worms are specially bred in a laboratory using eggs that have been treated to eliminate bacteria.
They are placed on the wound and covered with gauze, under a firm bandage, which keeps them on the wound and out of sight. After a few days, the bandage is cut off and the maggots are removed.
After the larval therapy, the wound was treated with Med-honey, a specialized honey with proven antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The dressings were changed every 48 hours to maintain a moist wound environment and promote the healing process.
Simultaneously with the application of Med-honey, the wound was treated with human amniotic membrane (HAM), which uses the inner part of the placenta. The patient received eight sessions over a month.
First, the membrane was meticulously cleaned and disinfected to ensure its safety. Its bioactive components were preserved, including growth factors and cytokines, which are critical to supporting the body’s immune and inflammatory responses.
“The application process resembled the careful unfolding of a beautiful tapestry, with the membrane acting as a scaffold for cellular activities,” the study authors wrote.
Growth factors within the membrane helped heal damaged tissue, while cytokines provided biological responses within the wound “microenvironment,” the study explains.
The membrane’s barrier function not only protected the wound from external threats, such as microbial invasion, but also retained moisture, aiding tissue regeneration.
Over a three-month period, doctors observed “remarkable improvement” with a significant reduction in wound size, decreased inflammation and infection, and the wound eventually closing.
