title: Fungi in housefly (Musca domestica L.) as a disease risk indicator-A case study in South Africa.
abstract: Houseflies are the commonest insects which have increasingly overcrowded human dwellings, particularly in rural areas and constitute a health hazard. In the environment they move back and forth by feeding and breeding on food commodities and filth. This may lead to the spread of diseases and also mycotoxin-producing fungi. Thus frequent exposure to the activity of such houseflies will have an impact on the welfare of humans. The study investigated the natural occurrence of fungal contamination in housefly samples captured from different households and pit toilets from a rural community in South Africa. Fungal contamination data were based on the prevalence, contamination level and morphological characteristics of the different identified species. A total of 497 fungal isolates of 15 genera including Aspergillus (37%), Fusarium (17%), Penicillium (21%), Alternaria (1.4%), Chrysosporium (2%), Cladosporium (0.2%), Curvularia (0.4%), Epicoccum (1%), Eupenicillium (1%), Moniliella (9%), Mucor (2%), Nigrospora (1%), Rhizopus (2%), Scopulariopsis (2%) and Yeasts (3%) were identified from the external surfaces of both female and male houseflies. The range of fungal contamination per total fungal count isolated from female and male houseflies were recorded with mean fungal load of 4.1×10(6), 8.4×10(6), 4.4×10(6), 3.3×10(5), 9.8×10(6), 2.2×10(4), 5.6×10(4), 2.9×10(6), 5.2×10(6), 4.7×10(6), 4.5×10(7), 4.6×10(6), 2.3×10(6), 4.9×10(7) and 6.4×10(6)CFU/ml, respectively. However, the range from The most dominant fungal isolates of the female housefly samples were Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium verrucosum and Moniliella suaveolens, while A. flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, F. verticillioides, Fusarium proliferatum and Penicillium aurantiogriseum were most prevalent in male samples. The study proves that housefly is a vector for fungal spores. Therefore, it is crucial to implement housefly-control measures to curb the spread of diseases.
authors.affiliation: Food, Environment and Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, Gauteng, South Africa. Electronic address: j_phoku@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Phoku
authors.affiliation: Water and Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, Gauteng, South Africa. Electronic address: tgbarnard@uj.ac.za.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health, Domestic Hygiene and Microbial Pathogens Research Group, Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa. Electronic address: Natasha.potgieter@univen.ac.za.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Potgieter
authors.affiliation: Food, Environment and Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, Gauteng, South Africa. Electronic address: mdutton@uj.ac.za.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dutton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005670:Fusarium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006793:Houseflies / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D010407:Penicillium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa
keywords: Fungal isolation; Housefly; Rural farming community