Detection of Intestinal Parasites Transmitted Mechanically by House Flies (Musca domestica, Diptera: Muscidae) Infesting Slaughterhouses in Khartoum State, Sudan

Abstract

Background: The housefly, Musca domestica, is a common household pest known to transmit human diseases like pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, metazoan, fungi and viruses. Apart from they are also responsible for transmitting intestinal parasites, which when outbreaks occur, could wreak havoc on both man and animals. The importance of house fly in disease transmission prompted this study to investigate the presence of intestinal parasites transmitted mechanically by houseflies that infested slaughterhouses in central markets in Khartoum state, Sudan. Methods: Thirty fly sticky ribbons were placed inside random slaughterhouses in three central markets in Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman between May and June 2018. Collected flies were preserved in tubes filled with normal saline and kept in -20 °C, then morphological identification of the collected house flies was conducted using standard identification keys. Examination and identification of intestinal parasites transmitted mechanically by M. domestica flies was conducted using microscope and standard keys. Results: A total of 684 house flies were collected and examined during the course of this study. Out of this number, twenty (2.9%) house flies were found to harbor intestinal parasites from all sites. In the central market of Khartoum, 300 house flies were examined out of which 4.7% were infected (n = 14). Out of the 260 house flies examined in Khartoum North, 2.3% were infected (n = 6) while a total of 124 house flies were examined in Omdurman slaughterhouses with 18.1% infected. The identified intestinal parasites were Entamoeba coli cyst, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar cyst, Giardia lamblia flagellate, Giardia lamblia cyst, Hymenolepis nana egg and Taenia species egg with infectivity rates of 33.3%, 19%, 19%, 14.3%, 9.5% and 4.8% respectively of the total house flies collected. Conclusion: Findings of this study indicate a relatively high infectivity rate in the disease vectors. Since this research detected this high rate of gastrointestinal parasites in the flies, their role in disease transmission cannot be over emphasized. This highlight the prevalence of such disease like diarrhea in Khartoum. Hence, there is need to raise awareness on the need to improve hygiene and sanitation in the communities where these slaughterhouses are situated so as to prevent a possible outbreak.