Abundance and Parasitic Load of Housefly (Musca Domestica) in Amansea Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Houseflies (Musca domestica) are major transmitters of pathogenic organisms to humans worldwide. This study was carried out to determine the relative abundance of housefly and its parasitic load in four different sites in the Amansea area of Anambra state, Nigeria. The housefly samples were collected with the aid of fly trap and sweep net and analyzed using sedimentation methods. Data obtained was calculated and expressed as simple percentages while chi-square was used to test for differences in prevalence rates of parasites in the study areas. Out of the 259 houseflies examined, 74 were infested with a prevalence of 28.57%. Houseflies were more abundant in the abattoir 92(35.52) followed by market area 71(27.41%), refuse dump sites (19.69%) while holy family hostels recorded the lowest abundance (17.37) (P=0.000). Houseflies infested with parasites were mostly found in holy family hostel 31(68.89) while the market area had the least infested house flies 5(7.04%). Two protozoan parasites (Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba coli) and two nematodes (Strongyloides stercoralis and Ascaris lumbricoides) were the parasites seen from the microscopic examination of samples. E. histolytica (7.61%) and E. coli (5.43%) were the parasites seen in Abattoir while S. stercoralis (7.04%) was the only parasite in the market area. E. histolytica (17.78%) and A. lumbricoides (51.11%) were seen in holy family hostel while E. coli (11.76%), S. stercoralis (7.84%) and A. lumbricoides (31.37%) were the parasites recovered from the houseflies in the Refuse dump site. The infestation of houseflies in the area is a threat to human health due to their ability to act as mechanical vectors for transmission of infectious pathogens. Hence, proper disposal and prompt removal of waste by environmental officers should be prioritized in the area as well as mass education of the public on the health implications of poor hygiene and poor sanitary practices.