Detection of antimicrobial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Maggots have become highly successful in the treatment of non-healing wounds and multidrug-resistant pathogen infections. The main objective of this study was to extract antibacterial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens. To induce immune responses, we septically injured the larvae with a contaminated needle. Lyophilized H. illucens larvae were homogenized and extracted with acidic methanol. We examined the antifungal and antibacterial effects of the low molecular weight antimicrobial factors within the larval extract on the growth of a broad range of microorganisms, including Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, we isolated the anti-MRSA substances from the larval extract using high performance liquid chromatography. These investigations revealed that the larval extract possessed a broad-spectrum of antibacterial activity, demonstrating that secretions of H. illucens larvae prove useful in the fight against MRSA and can potentially be a source of novel antibiotic-like compounds for infection control.