TECH

Flies transmit more diseases than we imaginedSeeing a fly landing on your food is never a pleasant experience, and as new research shows, it might actually be better to throw this appetizing piece of food that the fly has landed in the trash.A new study published in Scientific Reports reports that two of the most common flies - housefly and flies - are capable of carrying hundreds of different bacteria - and a good portion of them are harmful to humans. Flies are born of fecal material and rotting material, so this is not a surprise, but this is the first study to analyze the content of these insects in detail and assess their ability to carry and deposit germs. Flies tend to be close to humans, as we well know, so this finding tends to be somewhat disturbing."We believe this may show a mechanism of pathogen transmission that has been neglected by public health agents, and flies can contribute to the rapid transmission of pathogens in epidemic situations," said Donald Bryant, co-author of the new study and professor at the State University of Pennsylvania, in a press release.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the microbiome of 116 houseflies and flies from three different continents. In addition to detecting and characterizing the germ host inside the flies' stomach, the researchers also looked at the microbial content of individual body parts, finding that the legs were responsible for transferring most of the microbes from one surface to another.
"The legs and wings show the greatest diversity of microbes in the body of the fly, suggesting that bacteria use them as air transport," said Stephan Schuster, co-author of the study. "It is possible that the bacteria will survive the journey, growing and spreading to a new surface. In fact, research shows that each of the hundreds of steps the fly takes leaves behind a colony of microbes if the surface in question allows them to grow. "

For the study, the researchers analyzed the microbiome of 116 houseflies and flies from three different continents. In addition to detecting and characterizing the germ host inside the flies' stomach, the researchers also looked at the microbial content of individual body parts, finding that the legs were responsible for transferring most of the microbes from one surface to another.

"The legs and wings show the greatest diversity of microbes in the body of the fly, suggesting that bacteria use them as air transport," said Stephan Schuster, co-author of the study. "It is possible that the bacteria will survive the journey, growing and spreading to a new surface. In fact, research shows that each of the hundreds of steps the fly takes leaves behind a colony of microbes if the surface in question allows them to grow. "

Gizmodo