Do you want flies with your food? The answer should almost always be no, and a study published in Scientific Reports gives more reasons why such a side dish is not good.
News flash. Flies are dirty. Not in a moral or political way. But in a bacteria- and other pathogen-carrying way. For the study, a team of researchers from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, University of Virginia, Nanyang Technological University, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, the University of Georgia, and CosmosID, Inc. collected 63 samples of blowfly species Chrysomya megacephala and 53 samples of the housefly species Musca domestica from three different continents in urban, rural, and natural settings. They then used a procedure called whole-genome shotgun sequencing (WGS) to determine the types of pathogens that the flies were carrying.
The results were a bit icky. You’ve heard the saying: “on it like flies on poop” (except some use another word equivalent to the word “poop”)? Well, if someone says that about you, it’s an insult, in case you are wondering. Flies don’t exactly hang out in the cleanest environments, unless you count excrement, garbage, and carcasses as clean environments. And whenever and wherever flies land and crawl, bacteria in that location can stick to their bodies, especially their legs and wings. For flies, “shake a leg” may mean dropping bacteria. Indeed, flies seem to be like little Boeing 747s carrying different types of bacteria as passengers (probably with very little legroom as well).
Not all of these bacteria are dangerous. But some could cause diseases in plants, animals, or humans. For example, in humans, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae could lead to a skin infection called erysipeloid, Proteus mirabilis can cause urinary tract infections, and Helicobacter pylori has been associated with stomach ulcers, stomach cancer, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.
The study also raises the possibility that in the future scientists could use flies to monitor the pathogens in the environment. Testing the flies in a location could show what types of bacteria are common in the area and how the bacteria may be spreading over time. Yes, such testing can show how bacteria flies over time.
So how do you keep flies away from your food and your living quarters? Screens on doors and windows can keep them outside. Also, make sure that you don’t leave poop and food out too long. (If you tend to leave poop out in your house, please don’t invite me over). Insect repellents can also keep flies away. If you aren’t a fan of spraying chemicals around your house, you can look for a repellent without chemicals or use substances that seem to naturally repel flies. Writing for Lifehack, Jenny Marchal mentioned herbs like basil, essential oils like lavender, camphor, orange peels, cloves in citrus fruit, and hanging a bag of water. Now I haven’t tried all of these possibilities, but there are worse things in the world than being surrounded by basil.
If you want to catch flies, you can either purchase a fly trap, fly paper, or a Venus Fly Trap plant or make your own fly trap. Marchal described how you can use vinegar, wine, or honey to lure flies into a container that they can’t escape. Note: don’t use your mouth as that container.
Should you then freak out if a single fly lands on you or your food? Just because a fly carries bacteria doesn’t mean it can carry enough to cause an infection. Future scientific studies are necessary to determine the specific role that flies can play in spreading different diseases. Flies could be like episodes of a reality television show. Chances are that a single one won’t have too much of an effect. But many episodes of “Real Houseflies”? You may want to be wary of a kitchen swarming with flies, in case you didn’t know.
Source: Forbes Magazine