Flies can be more than pesky picnic crashers, they carry hundreds of different species of harmful bacteria and may help to spread disease, a study warns. Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University in the US have warned the public to avoid eating food during picnics. In a study of the microbiomes of 116 houseflies and blowflies, they found that these flies carry hundreds of different species of bacteria, many of which are harmful to humans.
"We believe that this may show a mechanism for pathogen transmission that has been overlooked by public health officials, and flies may contribute to the rapid transmission of pathogens in outbreak situations," said researcher from the Pennsylvania State University. The researchers were able to investigate the microbial content of individual fly body parts, including legs and wings.The legs appear to transfer most of the microbial organisms from…
