In vitro antibacterial properties of Lucilia sericata larvae-derived against pathogenic bacteria

Background: Maggots of Lucilia sericata have been used for debridement, cleansing infected and necrotic wounds. The larval-derived secretions contain potent bactericides which are able to killing pathogenic bacteria. These secretions have shown beneficial properties against Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. Some antimicrobial activities have also detected against Pseudomonas sp.Objectives: Main objective of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of saliva and hemolymph of L. sericata larvae against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeroginosa.Materials and Methods: Salivary gland lysate (SGL) and haemolymph were collected and diluted to prepare different concentrations to test against S. aureus, MRSA and P. aeroginosa. The antimicrobial assay was based on the standard agar diffusion assay. The range of activity against bacteria was tested with measuring the radial zones of inhibition (mm) of bacterial growth around the sample wells. The diameter of growth inhibition zone was standardized by inhibition zone of Ampicillin which was used as a positive control for S. aureus and Gentamycin for P. aeroginosa. The statistical processing of data was calculation of the mean values and their standard errors.Results: The Zones of bacterial growth suppression of the larval SGL and hemolymph against tested S. aureus were 22.3±1.2 mm and 24.3±1.2 mm, respectively. This data for Ampicilin was 27.4±1.5 mm. The mean growth-inhibition zone in MRSA was 17.6±0.58mm for SGL, 19.3±1.2 mm for hemolymph and 25.4±1.2 mm for the same antibiotic. The mean growth–inhibition zone of P. aeruginosa was 15.3±1.5mm for SGL, 18.3±1.2 mm for hemolymphand and 22.6±1.5 mm for Gentamicin antibiotic.Conclusion: The results of the current study show that L. sericata larvae have antibacterial agents in their SGL and hemolymph against some of the most important pathogenic bacteria in vitro. With the increase of multidrug-resistant bacteria, these natural products may be used for bacterial infection control

کلیدواژه ها:

Antimicrobial activity ، Maggot therapy ، Lucilia sericata ، Saliva ، Hemolymph