Abstract
Filth flies, cockroaches, and dung beetles have been close neighbors with humans and animals throughout our joint histories. However, these insects can also serve as vectors for many zoonotic enteric parasites (ZEPs). Zoonoses by ZEPs remain a paramount public health threat due to our close contact with animals, combined with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene access, services, and behaviors in many global regions. Our objective in this systematic review was to determine which ZEPs have been documented in these vectors, to identify risk factors associated with their transmission, and to provide effectual One Health recommendations for curbing their spread. Using PRISMA guidelines, a total of 85 articles published from 1926 to 2021 were reviewed and included in this study. Qualitative analysis revealed that the most common parasites associated with these insects included, but were not limited to: Ascaris spp., Trichuris spp., Entamoeba spp., and Cryptosporidium spp. Additionally, prominent risk factors discovered in the review, such as poor household and community WASH services, unsafe food handling, and exposure to domestic animals and wildlife, significantly increase parasitic transmission and zoonoses. The risk of insect vector transmission in our shared environments makes it critically important to implement a One Health approach in reducing ZEP transmission.
Highlights
Flies (Diptera), cockroaches (Blattodea), and dung beetles (Coleoptera) share their environment with humans, animals, and other insects
zoonotic enteric parasites (ZEPs) can be transmitted through direct contact with an insect vector harboring or carrying a parasite, or by accidental fecal–oral ingestion from contaminated food, water, hands, surfaces, and fomites [1]
The aim of this study was to determine which zoonotic enteric parasites (ZEPs) have been reported in filth flies, cockroaches, and dung beetles, and to identify the risk factors associated with their transmission
Summary
Flies (Diptera), cockroaches (Blattodea), and dung beetles (Coleoptera) share their environment with humans, animals, and other insects. Our close ecological connection to these insects presents the public health risk of disease transmission when one or more vectors are infected or contaminated with pathogenic organisms, such as zoonotic enteric parasites (ZEPs) [1,2,3,4,5]. Many species of filth flies are coprophagic, feeding on the fecal waste of animals and humans While these insects often favor indoor spaces, they frequently move back and forth between contaminated environmental settings and human living spaces. Filth flies are drawn to damp, organic matter (e.g., prepared food, garbage, sewage, or feces) to feed and lay eggs [7] These behaviors create the risk of transmission of a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are shed in excreta [2,5,7,9]. Transmission to humans or animals occurs mechanically through contact with shared surfaces or other items, hands and faces, or food products [1,7,8]
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