Histological and Immunohistochemical Study of Wounds in Sheep Skin in Maggot Therapy by Using Protophormia terraenovae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Larvae

Abstract

Abstract A study was performed to evaluate the implication of Protophormia terraenovae larvae as a surgical therapy for wounded skin. Three groups of sheep (n = 25) were considered based on larval doses. Groups 1 and 2 were artificially infested with low and high concentrations of L1 stage P. terraenovae, respectively, and group 0 served as a control. Skin biopsies were taken at 4 and 14 d postinfestation (D.P.If). A histopathological study was carried out to evaluate the lesions with a score, numbers of eosinophils and mast cells, and an immunohistochemical analysis of CD3, CD79α, and CD68 as T lymphocytes, B lymphosytes, and macrophages, respectively. The results indicated that higher larval doses led to faster regeneration by 14 D.P.If. Furthermore, the higher larval doses showed a high number of the CD68 marker and eosinophils and a low number of CD3 and CD79α markers and mast cells. In addition, the number of mast cells, T lymphocytes, and macrophage markers increased when the lesion progressed; however, a low number of immunolabeled CD79α cells and eosinophils were observed. The results indicate a possible positive effect of larvae in the healing of certain wounds.