Human gut parasitic pathogens carried by the housefly (Musca domestica L): A single health approach

Musca domestica (L) is a potential carrier of pathogenic parasites in synanthropic habitats.

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites carried by houseflies, collected from different sites in districts Dir (Lower) and Malakand, Pakistan.

During the study, 672 houseflies were randomly caught with insect sweep nets from abattoirs, garbage piles, public latrines, vegetable shops, and hotels located in both urban and rural areas of the districts.

A total of 672 common house flies were examined. Of the examined flies, 33.3% (n = 224) were found in filth with different species of parasites. Of the filthy flies, 30.9% (n = 208) were infected with a single species of parasites, and 2.38% (n = 16) were infected with multiple species of parasites. Seven different parasite species were isolated from the surface body parts and guts of the captured houseflies. Ascaris lumbricoides was isolated most (30.1%), followed by Toxocara canis (26.8%), hookworm (12.95%), Hymenolepis nana (10.3%), Giardia lamblia (9.82%), Taenia sp. (7.14%), and Trichuris trichiura (3.13%), in that order (p <; 0.0001).The highest number of houseflies (n = 156) was recorded in abattoirs, whereas the highest rate of prevalence, 43%, was noted in public latrines. Statistical representation revealed that the p value is significant only for the public latrines of the lower dir district (p <; 0.05).

This study showed that houseflies are potential transmitters of parasitic infection to human hosts and could significantly contribute to the spread of foodborne parasitic diseases.