ArticleBMC microbiology2011
Insects in confined swine operations carry a large antibiotic resistant and potentially virulent enterococcal community.
Article in BMC microbiology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of human pathogens carried by the housefly (Musca domestica L.).BMC public health · 2018Pooled it
- Development of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), on pork tissue at two temperatures.Journal of forensic sciences · 2025Article
- Bacterial communities and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes carried within house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) associated with beef and dairy cattle farms.Journal of medical entomology · 2023Article
- House Flies Are Underappreciated Yet Important Reservoirs and Vectors of Microbial Threats to Animal and Human Health.Microorganisms · 2023Review
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- Bacteriota and Antibiotic Resistance in Spiders.Insects · 2022Article
- Pathogens associated with houseflies from different areas within a New York State dairy.JDS communications · 2022Article
- Insects, Rodents, and Pets as Reservoirs, Vectors, and Sentinels of Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Synergism between Hydramethylnon andInsects · 2020Article
- Frequency and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Bacterial Species Isolated from the Body Surface of the Housefly (Journal of arthropod-borne diseases · 2020Article
- Antimicrobial resistance and genetic relationships of enterococci from siblings and non-siblingsPeerJ · 2020Article
- Multidrug-ResistantInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Pervasive Resistance to Pyrethroids in German Cockroaches (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) Related to Lack of Efficacy of Total Release Foggers.Journal of economic entomology · 2019Article
- Rapid evolutionary responses to insecticide resistance management interventions by the German cockroach (Blattella germanica L.).Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Antibiotic resistant bacteria and commensal fungi are common and conserved in the mosquito microbiome.PloS one · 2019Article
- Overlapping Community Compositions of Gut and Fecal Microbiomes in Lab-Reared and Field-Collected German Cockroaches.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2018Article
- Poikilothermic Animals as a Previously Unrecognized Source of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in a Backwater Ecosystem of a Large River.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2018Article
- Expansions of key protein families in the German cockroach highlight the molecular basis of its remarkable success as a global indoor pest.Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2018Article
- Domiciliary Cockroaches as Carriers of Human Intestinal Parasites in Lagos Metropolis, Southwest Nigeria: Implications for Public Health.Journal of arthropod-borne diseases · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExtensive use of antibiotics as growth promoters in the livestock industry constitutes strong selection pressure for evolution and selection of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Unfortunately, the microbial ecology and spread of these bacteria in the agricultural, urban, and suburban environments are poorly understood. Insects such as house flies (Musca domestica) and German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) can move freely between animal waste and food and may play a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria within and between animal production farms and from farms to residential settings.
resultsEnterococci from the digestive tract of house flies (n = 162), and feces of German cockroaches (n = 83) and pigs (n = 119), collected from two commercial swine farms were isolated, quantified, identified, and screened for antibiotic resistance and virulence. The majority of samples (93.7%) were positive for enterococci with concentrations 4.2 ± 0.7 × 10⁴ CFU/house fly, 5.5 ± 1.1 × 10⁶ CFU/g of cockroach feces, and 3.2 ± 0.8 × 10⁵ CFU/g of pig feces. Among all the identified isolates (n = 639) Enterococcus faecalis was the most common (55.5%), followed by E. hirae (24.9%), E. faecium (12.8%), and E. casseliflavus (6.7%). E. faecalis was most prevalent in house flies and cockroaches, and E. hirae was most common in pig feces. Our data showed that multi-drug (mainly tetracycline and erythromycin) resistant enterococci were common from all three sources and frequently carried antibiotic resistance genes including tet(M) and erm(B) and Tn916/1545 transposon family. E. faecalis frequently harbored virulence factors gelE, esp, and asa1. PFGE analysis of selected E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates demonstrated that cockroaches and house flies shared some of the same enterococcal clones that were detected in the swine manure indicating that insects acquired enterococci from swine manure.
conclusionsThis study shows that house flies and German cockroaches in the confined swine production environment likely serve as vectors and/or reservoirs of antibiotic resistant and potentially virulent enterococci and consequently may play an important role in animal and public health.
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