Do Not Eat The Food Touched By A Fly Says Study

It was found earlier this year that food can pick up germs in a second from the floor and now a study has recently found that it is not okay to eat food so much so as even touched by a fly according to the reports by news.com.au. The research published by the researchers at Penn State University’s Eberly College of Science, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro says that insects tend to carry dangerous bacteria.

How Harmful Can A Fly Be

According to the research published in Scientific Reports, a study was conducted 116 houseflies and blowflies that found a large numbers of dangerous bacteria. These include salmonella, e-coli and others which can lead to stomach ulcers and deadly sepsis. The report further says that flies carry these bacteria by feeding and breeding on faeces and carcasses and transfer the germs to wherever they go and sit, more importantly the food consumed by humans.

Professor Donald Bryant of Penn State University told BBC News, “People had some notion that there were pathogens that were carried by flies but had no idea of the extent to which this is true and the extent to which they are transferred.” The research also revealed that the legs of the flies carry the most of this harmful bacteria thus causing a rapid spread of the pathogens leading to diseases.

“We believe that this may show a mechanism for pathogen transmission that has been overlooked by public health officials, and flies may contribute to the rapid transmission of pathogens in outbreak situations,” said Professor Bryant. “It will really make you think twice about eating that potato salad that’s been sitting out at your next picnic.” Seems like we should add flies to our list of food poisoning causes.