Vector competence of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.
The vectoR potential of adult house flies. Musca domestica L., for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Pfeiffer), a pathogen of domestic animals and humans, was investigated. Adult flies were allowed to feed on trypticase soy broth (TSB) containing Y. pseudotuberculosis for 6 h and then transferred to sterile containers with sterile TSB as a source of water and nutrients. At 6-h intervals, all flies were transferred to sterile containers with sterile TSB and 10 randomly selected flies were examined for the pathogen. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis did not establish a permanent population in the house fly colony; however, viable cells were detected from the digestive tract of flies for up to 36 h after the initial exposure, and flies contaminated their environment (sterile TSB) for up to 30 h after the exposure. These results demonstrated that house flies can carry Y. psedotuberculosis for a considerable period and therefore must be considered as a potential mechanical vector of pseudotuberculosis infection.
Zurek
L
L
Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695, USA.
Denning
S S
SS
Schal
C
C
Watson
D W
DW
D000818:Animals; D006793:Houseflies / Q000382:microbiology*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000502:physiology*