A fly (plural flies)
is any species of insect of the order Diptera, some of which can
land on food and transmit bacteria to humans. Particularly the
house-fly (Musca domestica) is common amongst humans and has caused
many diseases to spread in the past. Other flies, such as the
horse-fly (Family Tabanidae), can inflict painful bites. The larva
of a fly is commonly called a maggot. MaggotSome types of maggots
found on corpses can be of great use to forensic scientists. By
their stage of development, these maggots can be used to give
an indication of the time elapsed since death, as well as the
place the organism died. Some maggots are leaf miners. Maggots
are bred commercially, as a popular bait in angling, and a food
for carnivourous pets such as reptiles or birds.
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Some maggots
which eat dead, but not living, flesh have been used medically,
being introduced into wounds to clean them. Other maggots, such
as the screwworm, eat live flesh. In the early days of medicine,
maggot infestations of wounds (myiasis) were inevitable. The wounds
that were infested tended to be less life-threatening than wounds
without the infestation, so until the development of antibiotics
it was common practice to leave the maggots. After antibiotics,
the presence of maggots became viewed as unhygienic. In recent
years, however, use of specially sanitized maggots has developed
as a treatment for various types of wounds such as leg ulcers
and pressure sores, gangrene and other bacterial infestations,
since the maggot will only eat the dead, rotting and infected
flesh and leave the living cells intact.
Above Pictures Are From The USDA
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