House Fly and Disease
Houseflies are recognized as carriers of easily communicable diseases. Flies collect pathogens on their legs and mouths when females lay eggs on decomposing organic matter such as feces, garbage and animal corpses.
Houseflies carry diseases on their legs and the small hairs that cover their bodies. It takes only a matter of seconds for them to transfer these pathogens to food or touched surfaces. Mature houseflies also use saliva to liquefy solid food before feeding on it. During this process, they transfer the pathogens first collected by landing on offal.
Diseases carried by houseflies include typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Other diseases carried by houseflies include salmonella, anthrax, and tuberculosis. Houseflies have also been known to transmit the eggs of parasitic worms.
Dichotomous Key for a House Fly