Research using DNA tests has determined what has long been speculated: barn flies spread bacteria that cause mastitis.
They also have the potential to infect people with infectious bacteria they could be harbouring and depositing when they bite.
The research was done by University of Wisconsin’s Dr. Kerri L. Coon and PhD candidate Andrew Sommer.
“While flies have long been circumstantially linked to mastitis and other diseases, there is actually very little research on the microbiome of biting stable flies,” they said in an email.
The challenge now is to determine the risk to cattle and humans who care for them.
