AVN News Desk
A recent study by Kyushu University has confirmed that blowflies, a family of flies known for feeding on decaying flesh and feces, can transmit highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to commercial poultry and wild birds.
The research, published in Scientific Reports, identifies blowflies as a potential viral vector, underscoring a new focus for efforts to halt the spread of HPAI.
“By maintaining clean environments and implementing fly control methods, such as fine nets or insecticides, we can reduce the risk of virus transmission to indoor poultry farms,” says Ryosuke Fujita, the study’s lead author and associate professor at Kyushu University’s Faculty of Agriculture.
“However, controlling blowflies in outdoor farms and wild bird populations may be logistically impossible,” the lead author says.
The study analyzed blowfly colonies near wild crane populations in Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan—a region with a dense population of migrating cranes during the winter, making them particularly vulnerable to HPAI.
Of the 648 blowflies collected, 14 were found to carry the bird flu virus, with genetic testing confirming that the strain matched the one infecting the crane colony.
“While 14 blowflies might seem like a small number, this represents a 2.2pc prevalence, which is significant compared to other insect-borne diseases,” Fujita explained.
The researchers hypothesize that blowflies ingest HPAI from infected birds or their waste and then spread the virus to poultry and wild birds by contaminating surfaces, food, and water or by being consumed by fowl.
Future research will explore the role of blowflies as HPAI vectors in infected poultry farms and the development of AI tools to predict the risk of insect-borne disease transmission.
