Whether it’s the buzzing noises or their scary appearances, chances are you are never really excited to see bugs in your house. In addition to how they look and sound, there are the germs they can carry, which is especially worrying during the ongoing COVID pandemic. Unfortunately, a new study published in the journal Parasites & Vectors recognizes some of those fears. Researchers at Kansas State University (KSU) and the Agricultural Research Service found that a common insect can carry and transmit COVID for up to 24 hours after it is infected. Read on to find out which creepy crawler to look out for and to learn more about bugs, check out 5 Things You Buy That Will Bring Bed Bugs Into Your Home, Experts Say.
Mr. Samarn Plubkilang / Shutterstock
The KSU study published on April 20 found that houseflies can carry and transmit COVID. To reach this conclusion, the scientists exposed houseflies in a laboratory to COVID and then tested them for infectivity. Environmental samples were also tested for infectivity after contact with the COVID-exposed flies. The samples were collected at different times after exposure. According to the researchers, they found that “house flies acquired and harbored infectious SARS-CoV-2 for up to 24 hours [hours] Post exposure. “
In addition, the houseflies were able to transmit COVID to the environment for up to 24 hours after exposure to the virus. Environmental samples that were touched by the exposed flies were contaminated with viral RNA, although these samples did not contain any infectious virus.
And in order for more living things to see that those terrible bugs you forgot to return soon, the Annihilators are warning.
pamirc / iStock
Since the research was carried out in a laboratory, the authors believe that further studies are needed to determine whether housefly transmission occurs naturally and what possible public health effects such events could have. Juergen RichtPhD, director of the KSU Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID) and co-author of the study, told Verywell Health that he and his colleagues decided to test housefly transmission because “there are many cases of COVID-19 where We don’t know how someone got infected with the virus. “
Richt stated that houseflies “are known to be attracted to biological fluids that may be contaminated with the virus,” but he said the likelihood of catching COVID from a housefly is rare.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for more up-to-date COVID news.
Shutterstock
According to the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), houseflies can transmit diseases and bacteria to humans. “The common housefly can transmit the pathogens that cause shigellosis, typhoid, E. coli and cholera,” explains the NEHA. “The pathogens can be transmitted from either the hair of the body or the tarsus, which are transmitted to food or surfaces when the fly lands. Pathogens can also be transmitted when a fly encounters food to liquefy material for digestion.” “
And for another creepy creature to beware, if you go to the beach watch out for this parasitic beetle.
Sun ok / Shutterstock
The good news is that another common set of errors appear to be incapable of transmitting the novel coronavirus to humans. On March 4, an article published in the Journal of Medical Entomology suggested that mosquitoes and biting mosquitoes cannot transmit COVID. “We believe these species cannot be biological vectors of SARS-CoV-2,” said Richt, who was also involved in this study, in a statement. “The likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 being transmitted by these insects is extremely low.”
While direct transmission from these insects to humans is nothing to worry about, “mosquitos and midges can be mechanical vectors” like flies, Richt said. “We believe that in some of those cases where you can’t find direct transmission of the virus by interacting with positive people, fomites could play a role in a number of different ways.”
And for more error messages, if you see this bug in your home, don’t step on it, experts warn.
