Abstract

This study aimed to isolate and identify bacterial and parasitic pathogens from houseflies captured in hospitals and slaughterhouses. The present study involved 300 houseflies, of which 150 houseflies were collected from hospitals and 150 from slaughterhouses. Two samples were obtained from each housefly; one sample was obtained from the surface of the housefly, and the second was extracted from the intestine of the fly. The bacteria were isolated using cystine–lactose–electrolyte-deficient agar (CLED) agar, while the parasites were studied using direct microscopic examination. Two hundred eighty-three bacteria were isolated from hospitals houseflies; 56.2% of them recovered from the surface of houseflies and 43.8% from the intestine of the flies. This result indicated that each housefly carried 1.9 bacteria. Three hundred sixty-six bacteria were isolated from slaughters houseflies; 53.8% of them recovered from the surface of houseflies and 46.2% from the intestine of the flies. This result showed that each housefly carried 2.44 bacteria. Escherichia coli, Enterococci spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common bacteria isolated from the houseflies. This study identified high virulence bacteria such as E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella spp. This finding reflects the level of hygiene in the studied area and arise alarm of consequent complications for human health.

Key words: Housefly, bacteria, parasite, culture, cystine–lactose–electrolyte-deficient agar (CLED).