Cosmos New research has identified a potential new transmission route for bird flu – blowflies of the genus Calliphora.
Japanese scientists collected blowflies near a wild crane colony in Izumi city, Kagoshima Prefecture, during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Of the 648 blowflies collected, 14 were found to be carrying the virus.
“While 14 blowflies may seem like a low number, this represents a prevalence in blowflies of 2.2%, which is a huge percentage compared to other diseases spread by insects,” says Ryosuke Fujita of Kyushu University’s Faculty of Agriculture, first author of the study in Scientific Reports.
“By keeping areas clean and using fly control methods, such as fine nets or insecticides, we can reduce the risk of virus spread to indoor poultry farms. However, in outdoor farms in other countries, and in wild bird populations, controlling blowflies may be logistically impossible.”