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P3-118 Frequency of Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens on the Surface and Guts of Individual Filth Flies

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Exhibit Hall (Rhode Island Convention Center)
Monica Pava-Ripoll, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-CFSAN, College Park, MD
Rachel Pearson, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-CFSAN, College Park, MD
Amy Miller, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-CFSAN, College Park, MD
George Ziobro, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-CFSAN, College Park, MD
Introduction: It is recognized that some species of flies are more likely to transmit foodborne pathogens.  However, more data is required to properly assess the risk associated with the presence of a particular fly species in food or food facilities and the ability of an individual fly to vector foodborne pathogens.

Purpose: To establish the frequency of Salmonella spp., Cronobacter sakazakii and Listeria spp. from the surface and guts of individual flies collected from dumpsters outside restaurants in urban areas.

Methods: A total of 100 flies were collected and identified from 10 randomly selected sites. Pathogen detection on the body surface and guts of the flies was performed using the BAX® System Q7 (DuPont Qualicon) followed by confirmation of BAX positive samples using the BAM protocol described for each bacterial pathogen. Presumptive Salmonella spp. and Listeria were confirmed through ribotyping, and presumptive C. sakazakii were confirmed using chromogenic media and PCR amplification and sequencing of 16S rRNA and α-glucosidase genes.

Results: The most abundant fly species was Musca domestica (47%), followed by Lucilia cuprina (33%), Lucilia sericata (14%) and others (6%). On the body surface of individual flies, C. sakazakii (7%), L. monocytogenes (1%) and Salmonella serovar Poona (1%) were isolated and confirmed.  Whereas C. sakazakii (16%), L. monocytogenes (3%), L. innocua (4%) and Salmonella serovars Poona (1%), Hadar (1%), Schwarzengrund (1%), Senftenberg (1%) and Brackenridge (1%) were isolated and confirmed in the guts of collected flies.

Significance: This study provides data in support of insect control to minimize the spread of bacterial pathogens carried by an individual filth fly species.  L. monocytogenes and all but one isolated Salmonella serovar have been implicated in food poisoning outbreaks reported by the CDC, thus emphasizing the importance of regulating disease-causing flies in food facilities to decrease the risk of foodborne illness.

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