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  Evidence that Flies Spread Avian Flu was reported in the April 2007 issue of "Poultry International,". The evidence showing that common flies may be able to transmit influenza viruses in and out of poultry facilities.[7] Before the emergence of H5N1, the largest outbreak of bird flu in history wasn't in Asia; it was in Pennsylvania in 1983-84, resulting in the costliest animal disease eradication in U.S. history and the deaths of 17 million birds. In this U.S. outbreak of a highly pathogenic H5N2 strain, researchers found that over one-third of mature houseflies recovered from affected facilities were carrying the virus. Universal fly infestation is inherent to poultry production: One cannot effectively keep flies out of a poultry facility.[8] [7] Mabbett T. 2007. Another good reason to control houseflies: they carry bird flu virus. Poultry International. April, pp. 16-7. And evidence shows that houseflies on cattle farms may contribute to the spread of Escherichia coli O157:H7 among animals, their food supply and potentially humans say researchers from Kansas. Their findings appear in the December 2004 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. E. coli, one of the leading causes of food-borne diseases throughout the world, is responsible for more than 73,000 cases annually in the United States alone. E. coli O157:H7 can be life-threatening to children, the elderly and immuno-compromised patients. The intestinal tracts of cattle serve as the main reservoir for E. coli O157:H7 and the environment in which they are housed frequently attracts large populations of houseflies (HF). "One of the potential modes of dissemination of this pathogen in the environment is by insects that are associated with animal feces and manure, primarily houseflies," say the researchers. In the study houseflies were gathered from the feed bunks of a cattle farm in Kansas from June through October 2003. E.coli O157:H7 was found in every batch of houseflies collected, with 30% of the positive houseflies coming from a flaked corn shed. Ninety percent of the isolates contained genes indicating highly virulent strains. "Our study demonstrated that houseflies carry virulent E. coli O157:H7 in the farm environment primarily during the summer and may play an important role in the ecology and transmission of this pathogen among individual cattle and potentially to the surrounding farm and urban environment," say the researchers. "Information on the association of E. coli O157:H7 with houseflies will assist in developing more comprehensive and quantitative risk assessments, as well as formulating E. coli O157:H7 intervention strategies that should include an effective HF management program." (M.J. Alam, L. Zurek. 2004. Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with houseflies on a cattle farm. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70. 12: 7578-7580.) Houseflies Collected In Fast Food Restaurants Found To Carry Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria 17 Jun 2006 Houseflies in food-handling and serving facilities carry and may have the capacity to transfer antibiotic-resistant and potentially virulent bacteria say researchers Kansas State University. They report their findings in the June 2006 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Multi-drug resistance is a serious problem plaguing the world today as the number of antibiotics effective at treating human infections continues to decline. Although it is not yet well understood, preliminary research has indicated a connection between antibiotic resistance and food of animal origin. Experts are now examining the role that insects that develop in decaying organic material (specifically manure) may play in transmitting antibiotic resistant bacteria to residential settings. Enterococci are commonly found in animal and human digestive tracts and are known for their frequent multi-antibiotic resistance. Two of the 26 species, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are responsible for the majority of human infections. In the study the digestive tracts of 260 houseflies collected from five fast food restaurants were tested for enteroccoci and characterized. Ninety-seven percent tested positive for the bacteria with E. faecalis identified in the majority of the isolates (88.2%). E. faecalis was found to carry virulence genes and have varying percentages of resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin, streptomycin, ciproflaxin and kanamycin. E. faecium showed up at a rate of 6.8%. "This study showed that houseflies in food-handling and serving facilities carry antibiotic-resistant and potentially virulent enterococci that have the capacity for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes to other bacteria," say the researchers. L. Macovei, L. Zurek. 2006. Ecology of antibiotic resistance genes: characterization of enterococci from houseflies collected in food settings. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72. 6: 4028-4035. In BC the transmission of health hazards by flies is written into the guide to deposing of animals. It states “ Primary environmental concerns related to dead animal disposal are: 1. death due to disease that results in disease spread. 2. holding or burial sites that result in surface or ground water or air pollution. 3. flies or rodents that results in disease transfer to people, livestock or wildlife. And 4. attraction of predators to the site that may be undesirable for wildlife.On Symptom: swine flu. Diagnosis: industrial agriculture? posted 7 months ago 27 Responses