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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » LAPRU » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #333294
Research Project: Management of Flies Associated with Livestock

Location: Livestock Arthropod Pests Research

Title: Fungi isolated from house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) on penned cattle in South Texas

Author
item YSQUIERDO, CHERITY - University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley
item Olafson, Pia
item Thomas, Donald

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2016
Publication Date: 2/4/2017
Citation: Ysquierdo, C.A., Olafson, P.U., Thomas, D.B. 2017. Fungi isolated from house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) on penned cattle in South Texas. Journal of Medical Entomology. 54:705-711. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjw214.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjw214

Interpretive Summary: House flies were collected from cattle diagnosed with bovine ringworm to evaluate the potential of these insects to disseminate the fungus that is the causative agent for ringworm in cattle. Fungi were cultured from 45 individual flies and each fungal isolate was identified using morphological, microscopic, and molecular approaches. The fungus that causes bovine ringworm was not identified from the flies collected. However, 36 different fungal species were cultured from these flies, including several allergenic and pathogenic species. Twenty-two species are reported for the first time on house flies. The most frequent fungus recovered was one known to be a ubiquitous, airborne allergen.

Technical Abstract: Musca domestica L. were collected from cattle diagnosed with bovine ringworm to evaluate the potential of the house fly to disseminate Trichophyton verrucosum E. Bodin, a fungal dermatophyte that is the causative agent for ringworm in cattle. Fungal isolates were cultured from 45 individual flies on supplemented Sabouraud dextrose agar, and isolates were identified using morphological and microscopic approaches. Each isolate was further identified by PCR amplification of the ribosomal DNA locus with fungal specific primers and subsequent amplicon sequencing. No T. verrucosum were identified using these approaches. However, 36 different fungal species representing 17 genera were cultured from these flies, including several allergenic and pathogenic species. Several species within the fungal orders Hypocreales, Microascales, Onygenales, Saccharomycetales, Xylaniales, and Agaricales were observed for the first time on house flies. The most frequent fungus recovered was Cladosporium cladosporoides, which is known to be a ubiquitous, airborne allergen.