Advances and Prospects in Odour-based Management of Filth Flies.

Filth flies are groups of dipteran species closely associated with human and animal faeces, food waste, or carrion. They include species such as the house fly (Musca domestica), face fly (Musca autumnalis), bazaar fly (Musca sorbens), false stable flies (Muscina stabulans, Muscina levida), lesser house fly (Fannia canicularis), stable flies (Stomoxys spp.), horn fly (Haematobia irritans), neglected blood feeder fly (Musca crassirostris), oriental latrine fly (Chrysomya megacephala), green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata), Australian sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) and blue bottle fly (Calliphora vicina). Thriving on decomposing organic waste, sewage, animal faeces, and carrion, these flies act as mechanical vectors of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths. They also cause direct harm through annoyance, stress, skin lesions, blood loss, and immunosuppression. In humans, contact with contaminated items, body parts, or food results in diseases such as trachoma, chlamydia, cholera, and gastrointestinal infections. In livestock, infestations lead to reduced weight gain and milk yield, causing economic losses exceeding USD 2 billion annually. Like all insects, filth flies rely heavily on olfaction to locate food, mates, oviposition sites, shelters, and to avoid danger. Identifying the odour cues that guide these behaviours offers promising opportunities for control, particularly when integrated into trapping or repellent systems. This review summarises current knowledge on filth fly management using odour cues. It explains the nature of these cues and their detection mechanisms in insects, discusses studies applying them for monitoring, attraction, repellency, or mass trapping, and highlights key considerations for developing effective odour-based control strategies. The review provides a useful reference for veterinarians, entomologists, chemical ecologists, industry, and funding agencies seeking sustainable alternatives for managing filth flies.