LarvE

LarvE® is the brand name for our sterile larvae of the common greenbottle fly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Calliphoridae). Our Free Range product allows the larvae to be applied directly to the wound, where they can roam freely over the surface seeking out areas of slough or necrotic tissue.
The Free Range presentation is particularly suitable where cavities or undermining are present and a comprehensive range of ancillary retention nets are available from ZooBiotic covering most wound locations. For most wound types, our LarvE® BioFOAM™; dressing provides a convenient and cosmetically appealing alternative to the Free Range.

The larvae are initially 2-3mm long, but once applied to the wound under favourable conditions, they increase in size rapidly, reaching 8-10mm when fully grown. LarvE® are supplied in a sterile pot fitted with a lid containing a filter that is permeable to air but which prevents the passage of micro-organisms.

To aid the dressing procedure, LarvE® are supplied in a pack comprising most of the recommended components required. Depending upon the size of the wound to be treated, one or more pots of LarvE® are provided in the pack.

For hospital applications, our packs are supplied as follows:

Description Product Code
Pack containing 1 pot of LarvE® Kit Full 1
Pack containing 2 pots of LarvE® Kit Full 2
Pack containing 3 pots of LarvE® Kit Full 3
Pack containing 4 pots of LarvE® Kit Full 4
Pack containing 5 pots of LarvE® Kit Full 5

The purchasing department must specify size and quantity of LarvE® net required.

For the community the packs contain the same as those above but have an additional yellow sealable disposal bag and yellow Larvae Bin designed to fully meet the UK guidelines for disposal of clinical waste*:

Description Product Code
Pack containing 1 pot of LarvE® Standard Pack 1
Pack containing 2 pots of LarvE® Standard Pack 2
Pack containing 3 pots of LarvE® Standard Pack 3
Pack containing 4 pots of LarvE® Standard Pack 4
Pack containing 5 pots of LarvE® Standard Pack 5
Pack containing 1 pot of LarvE®  Half Boot Pack 1
Pack containing 2 pots of LarvE® Half Boot Pack 2
Pack containing 3 pots of LarvE® Half Boot Pack 3
Pack containing 4 pots of LarvE® Half Boot Pack 4
Pack containing 5 pots of LarvE® Half Boot Pack 5
Pack containing 2 pots of LarvE® Boot Pack 2
Pack containing 3 pots of LarvE® Boot Pack 3
Pack containing 4 pots of LarvE® Boot Pack 4
Pack containing 5 pots of LarvE® Boot Pack 5
Pack containing 3 pots of LarvE® Sleeve Pack 3
Pack containing 4 pots of LarvE® Sleeve Pack 4
Pack containing 5 pots of LarvE® Sleeve Pack 5

The other components of the LarvE® pack are:

  • A piece of sterile net (LarvE® Net) large enough to cover the area of the wound which can be cut to size using sterile scissors (not supplied).
  • 2 or 3 Granuflex® hydrocolloid dressings which can be cut to size and shape to form a boarder or shallow chamber around the wound using the surrounding intact skin.
  • A roll of Sleek® plastic surgical adhesive tape which is used to secure the LarvE® Net to the hydrocolloid thus forming an enclosure for the larvae over the wound.
  • A vial of sterile saline is provided to allow the easy transfer of the larvae from their transit pot.
  • In order to calculate the optimum number of larvae for a particular wound size, we have developed the LarvE® calculator available on this website.

* Independently tested to comply with The Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Classification, Packaging and Labelling) and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles Regulations 1996 No 2092.

Lifecycle of the Larvae



View a graphical representation of the lifecycle of the ZooBiotic LarvE - link will open in a new browser window.