The disgusting truth behind what really happens when a fly lands on your food

Publish Date
Tuesday, 28 November 2017, 3:21PM

Flies are disgusting!

Not only do they get into your trash and walk their grubby little feet all over your food, according to new research, they also carry bacteria from faeces and carcasses and transfer the germs to other surfaces.

That's right.

Researchers at Penn State University’s Eberly College of Science, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro studied 116 house and blowflies and discovered some flies carry hundreds of different species of bacteria, including salmonella, e-coli and others that can result in stomach ulcers.

Penn State biochemist Donald Bryant said he thought the public would be shocked with the findings.

"It will really make you think twice about eating that potato salad that's been sitting out at your next picnic."

Stephan Schuster, former professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State added: "The legs and wings show the highest microbial diversity in the fly body, suggesting that bacteria use the flies as airborne shuttles."

So the next time you see a fly land on your food, throw it out immediately!

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