The potential role of blowflies in the transmission of taeniid tapeworm eggs

Abstract

In laboratory studies with 3 species of Calliphora more than half were shown to ingest eggs of Taenia hydatigena from the surface of clog faeces with a maximum of over 5000 eggs in 1 fly. Most eggs were voided within 48 h and between 38 and 48% of these eggs had lost their embryophores. In field studies carried out in the South Island of New Zealand, traps baited with dog faeces captured the following blowfly species in decreasing order of abundance: Hybopygia varia, Calliphora quadrimaculata, C. hortona and C. stygia. Peak numbers were trapped in January, February and March. Almost 25% of wild flies, caught after feeding for up to 3 mm on dog faeces naturally contaminated with taeniid eggs, had eggs in their intestine. When administered to lambs all 4 species of fly transferred infection. Lambs grazed in winter on plots near kennels that had housed dogs with patent infections of T. hydatigena acquired higher worm burdens than those grazed further away. The burdens were greater downwind of the prevailing wind. After removal of the dogs, blowflies caught in the vicinity contained taeniid eggs but the contents of pitfall traps did not. Blowflies, and to a much lesser degree the insects and dust caught on sticky traps during the presence of the dogs, transferred infection when administered to naive lambs.