Manure, maggots, microbes...Oh my! A closer look at house fly acquisition, harboring and dissemination of bacteria

Because bacteria are a nutritional requirement for larvae, house flies have a life-long association with microbe-rich, septic habitats such as manure and refuse. Being highly motile and synanthropic, adult house flies disseminate microbes from these environments to humans, livestock and domestic animals. The interactions between bacteria and all stages of house fly life history (eggs, larvae, pupae and adults) will be presented, with special emphasis on factors that influence bacterial survival and transmission.