# Eating live maggots -- possible health consequences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257 "2008-05-22T15:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/1 "2008-05-22T15:48:01Z")
Inspired by this thread : > **[Would you eat live maggots? What if I offered you $1,000?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=468955)** > > A friend of mine asked me this, and I said, “yes.” As long as the maggots were fresh. I think quite a few animals eat them, so what not myself? And a $1,000 is a $1,000. What about you? He tried to lower the offer, but since I knew he’d never come... Would there be any negative side effects from eating live maggots? What could happen? It would be interesting to hear about a “worst-case scenario” (if there is one) from consuming a few of the cute little critters. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/2 "2008-05-22T16:40:57Z")
I dunno–since doctors introduce some types of maggots into open wounds as part of maggot therapy (you can look it up on Wikipedia–no link, sorry, I just ate), I’d guess that ingesting them wouldn’t have any ill effect. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/3 "2008-05-22T16:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] I dunno–since doctors introduce some types of maggots into open wounds as part of maggot therapy (you can look it up on Wikipedia–no link, sorry, I just ate), I’d guess that ingesting them wouldn’t have any ill effect. [/QUOTE] Maggots used to debride wounds are grown in aseptic conditions. ---
**Author:** ![ignis\_glaciesque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@ignis\_glaciesque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignis_glaciesque)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/4 "2008-05-22T17:10:08Z")
I doubt eating live maggots would be a health risk, especially since I know there’s more than one delicacy that incorporates live maggots (Google ‘casu marsu’ or something like it). Maggots are no worse for you than, say, any other bug, and billions of people eat bugs every day without ill effect. The only reason we don’t eat maggots is because of the ‘eew’ factor — we only ever find them in association with rot and decay. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/5 "2008-05-22T17:18:34Z")
Well, worst case scenario probably is that by eating non-sterile maggots you could get salmonella… Since you eat them alive, so using high temperature is not possible, and just washing them could be not enough. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/6 "2008-05-22T18:56:40Z")
I don’t think there is much harm in eating live maggots. When you eat the live maggots, they soon become dead maggots. Even if you don’t chew them, the stomach acid should kill them. If you’re afraid they might start borrowing around in your guts, I believe they only eat dead flesh. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/7 "2008-05-22T19:56:37Z")
‘burrowing’ :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/8 "2008-05-23T04:00:49Z")
I think the biggest health risk is going to be in the guts of the maggot. Because of what they last ate. They’re not the fussiest of diners. If you pull maggots off a cow pie, you’re going to eat bits of cow pie the maggots had been consuming. Or rotting flesh, or whatever. Consider your source, so to speak. Purina make a maggot chow? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/9 "2008-05-23T04:18:56Z")
[Casu Marzu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu) Enjoy, and pardon me while I puke. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/10 "2008-05-23T12:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] [Casu Marzu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu) Enjoy, and pardon me while I puke. [/QUOTE] From the link, _“Risk of being eye damaged by jumping larvae. It’s advised that people eat this cheese while wearing protective glasses.”_ Any food that I’m required to wear protective glasses because it could jump and injure my eye is food I’m going to pass on. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/11 "2008-05-23T12:36:17Z")
[QUOTE=RedSwinglineOne] If you’re afraid they might start borrowing around in your guts, I believe they only eat dead flesh. [/QUOTE] That’s only the species used medically. Many other types of maggots will quite happily eat living flesh and other tissues. Some do so exclusively and parasitically. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/12 "2008-05-23T12:36:25Z")
[QUOTE=BrandonR] From the link, _“Risk of being eye damaged by jumping larvae. It’s advised that people eat this cheese while wearing protective glasses.”_ Any food that I’m required to wear protective glasses because it could jump and injure my eye is food I’m going to pass on. Blech. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that was pretty much the cause of the commercial failure of Pizza Hut’s _Facehugger_. ---
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/13 "2008-05-23T12:41:52Z")
[http://www.sfsignal.com/mt-static/images/operaFly.jpg](http://www.sfsignal.com/mt-static/images/operaFly.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/14 "2008-05-23T12:55:03Z")
[QUOTE=RedSwinglineOne] When you eat the live maggots, they soon become dead maggots. Even if you don’t chew them, the stomach acid should kill them [/QUOTE] Chew _very_ well, according to the wikipedia link on Casu Marzu; > [@](#): > > Risk of enteric myiasis: intestinal larval infection. Piophila casei larvae can pass through the stomach alive (human stomach acids do not usually kill them) and take up residency for some period of time in the intestines, where they can cause serious lesions as they attempt to bore through the intestinal walls. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea :o ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-live-maggots-possible-health-consequences/450257/15 "2008-05-23T15:34:17Z")
I stand corrected. I’ll make sure that the next time I eat maggots that I, … I’m just gonna not ever eat maggots.