Housefly

The common housefly is unwelcome around food because flies can carry disease-causing germs. Now, scientists have shown that the insects can also spread food poisoning bacteria to chickens in poultry houses. As a result, they say flies are a threat to the safety of poultry products.

Of the three potential means (carriage on the body and legs, regurgitation and defecation) by which houseflies can transmit pathogens, one involves passage through the gut. During passage through the housefly, pathogens may replicate within the gut.

In the housefly, M. domestica, sex pheromone production is correlated with egg development.

Houseflies are known to carry at least 100 different pathogens and they are vectors for at least 65 of these.