House flies (Musca domestica) pose a risk in carriage and transmission of bacterial pathogens associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD)

Authors: NEUPANE, SARASWOTI - Kansas State University; Nayduch, Dana; ZUREK, LUDEK - University Of Veterinary And Pharmaceutical Sciences

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/17/2019
Publication Date: 10/18/2019
Citation: Neupane, S., Nayduch, D., Zurek, L. 2019. House flies (Musca domestica) pose a risk in carriage and transmission of bacterial pathogens associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD). Insects. 10:358. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100358.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100358

Interpretive Summary: House flies are important nuisance pests in a variety of confined livestock operations. More importantly, house flies are known to harbor and transmit numerous pathogens that cause disease in livestock and humans. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an economically important, complex illness of cattle associated with several bacteria and viruses. The role that flies play in harboring and transmitting bacterial pathogens associated with BRD is not understood. Using two different approaches, one that cultured bacteria from flies (culture-dependent methods) and one that detected bacterial DNA in flies without culture (culture-independent methods), we examined the prevalence of the main BRD bacterial pathogens Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in house flies that were collected from a commercial feedlot where cattle were suffering from apparent respiratory illness. Using both methods, M. haemolytica was detected in 11.7% of house flies, followed by P. multocida (5.0%) and H. somni (3.3%). The presence of these BRD bacterial pathogens in house flies suggests that flies may play a role in the ecology of BRD pathogens at livestock facilities where infected animals are present. Further, flies could pose a risk as a potential reservoir or a vector of BRD pathogens among individual cattle and their environment.

Technical Abstract: House flies are important nuisance pests in a variety of confined livestock operations. More importantly, house flies are known mechanical vectors of numerous animal and human pathogens. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an economically important, complex illness of cattle associated with several bacteria and viruses. The role of flies in the ecology and transmission of bacterial pathogens associated with BRD is not understood. Using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, we examined the prevalence of the BRD bacterial complex Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in house flies collected from a commercial feedlot from a pen with cattle suffering from apparent respiratory illness. Using both methods, M. haemolytica was detected in 11.7% of house flies, followed by P. multocida (5.0%) and H. somni (3.3%). The presence of BRD bacterial pathogens in house flies suggests that this insect plays a role in ecology of BRD pathogens and could pose a risk as a potential reservoir or a vector of BRD pathogens among individual cattle and their environment.