Alloferons also known as immunomodulating peptides are slightly cationic and non-toxic antiviral peptides that are isolated from the blood of an insect. Alloferons have no teratogenic, embryotoxic or mutagenic properties.

Alloferons were first isolated from bacteria-challenged larvae of an experimentally infected blow fly, Calliphora vicina (Diptera) 1. This species, along with other surgical maggots, has a long history of medical use in wound and ulcer healing

Alloferons are members of cytokine-like peptide family of the insect immune system. They are naturally occurring peptides, usually consisting of 12-13 amino acids. Twenty types of alloferons are found in nature and are classified as as alloferon 1 to alloferon 20. Alloferons 1 and 2 are natural peptides, alloferons 3 and 4 are truncated forms of alloferon 1. Alloferons 5-20 are modifications of variable fragments of the basic structure of alloferon2.