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Transmission of infectious diseases

Old flyer containing information on extermination of flies
Fig. 1. 3. From an old American flyer. The main reasons for exterminating flies are illustrated.

Mites and insects can transmit bacteria to people in two different ways: biologically and mechanically.
Biological transmission means that the mite or the insect plays a central role in the lifecycle of a micro-organism. The micro-organism must pass through the pest in order to evolve and the insect is the only possible way of transmission. It is especially bloodsucking insects that transfer diseases (malaria, yellow fever and Chagas disease etc.) biologically.

Mechanical transmission means that the insect is just one out of several transmission possibilities. The risk of insects transmitting diseases depend on their way of living. On this matter it makes sense to distinguish between actual food pests and those that do not exclusively live in foods. Food pests live in both unprocessed and processed food. Here they lay their eggs and live their whole lives. These insects rarely act as transmitters of diseases. That includes mites, granary weevils, saw-toothed grain beetles and moths.

Insects that do not exclusively live in foods are mobile and have the potential to transmit diseases to foods from trash, excrements, dead animals, sewerage and even from sick people and animals. Among the mobile pests are cockroaches, silver fish, pharaoh ants, booklice, flies and wasps. Mice, rats and birds are also members of the mobile pests group.

Among the more than 100 different kinds of viruses, bacteria, single-celled micro-organisms and eggs of parasitic worms that is found in house flies and cockroaches have isolated several of the types that can cause serious diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, polio and tuberculosis. Micro-organisms exist on the outside of the insects, on hair and mouth etc., but here they normally only survive a few hours. House flies, cockroaches and ants may also obtain micro-organisms when they eat. In the intestines of the insects, many of the micro-organisms survive for days and then later on they are transmitted through the insects’ excrements.

It is very difficult and in specific cases not even possible to estimate the role of insects and other food pests in relation to transmission. Because of the potential risk insects always present, they should not be tolerated near food that will not later be heat treated or otherwise secured against micro-organisms and places with a risk of toxin production. Pests in companies or kitchens are usually taken as a sign of low quality hygiene. This is probably true in most cases. A study in Canada showed that there is a connection between poor cleaning in workplaces and the number of pests and microbes in the finished product. This is not necessarily a direct connection. It can also be the consequence of general company hygiene.

Food Pests
Introduction
An old problem
Competition for food
Pests can ruin stored goods
Why not just eat the insects
Some insects are unhealthy to eat
Allergy to pests
Transmission of infectious diseases
Where do pests come from?
Synanthrope species
(1) The house dust mite and the sugar mite
(2) The firebrat and the silverfish
(3) The German cockroach and the forest cockroach
(4) The rust-red flour beetle and the confused flour beetle
(5) The merchant grain beetle and the saw-toothed grain beetle
(6) The cigarette beetle and the drugstore beetle
(7) The rice weevil and the granary weevil
(8) The pharaoh ant and the common black ant
History of the dark flour beetle
Pests in bird's nests
Mould fauna
The Look and Behaviour of pests
Insect appearance
Internal
Insect development
Insect senses
Behaviour
Water and Moisture
Temperature
What insects live off and live in
The Air
Mites
Bug Indentification
The various species
Mites
The flour mite
The sugar mite
The common house mite
The Lardoglyphus zacheri
The prune mite
The cheese mite
The house dust mite
The Cheyletus eruditus
Silverfish
The Silverfish
The firebrat
Cockroaches
The German cockroach
The Oriental cockroach
The brown-banded cockroach
The American cockroach
The extermination of cockroaches
Crickets
Earwigs
Booklice
Butterflies
The Mediterranean flour moth
The warehouse moth
Tropical warehouse moth
The brown house moth
The Indian meal moth
Grain beetles
The saw-toothed grain beetle
The merchant grain beetle
The rust-red grain beetle
Flour beetles
The yellow mealworm beetle
The lesser mealworm beetle
The dark flour beetle
The confused flour beetle
The rust-red flour beetle
The bolting cloth beetle
Furniture beetles
The drugstore beetle
The cigarette beetle
Bostrychidae
The lesser grain borer
True weevils snout beetles
The granary weevil
The rice weevil
The corn weevil
Bean weevils
The common bean weevil
The coffee bean weevil
Skin beetles
The bacon beetle
The dermestid beetle
The leather beetle
The khapra beetle
The reesa vespulae
Chequered beetles
The red-legged ham beetle
The red-breasted copra beetle
The black-legged ham beetle
Spider beetles
The Australian spider beetle
The white-marked spider beetle
The golden spider beetle
The smooth spider beetle
Plaster beetles
Flies
The common house fly
The lesser house fly
Blowflies
The grey flesh fly
The cheese skipper
Fruit flies
Hymenoptera
The common black ant
The pharaoh ant
Wasps
Birds
The domestic pigeon
The house sparrow
Prevention and control of birds
Rodents
The house mouse
The yellow-necked mouse
Mouse prevention
Mouse control
The brown rat
The black rat
Rat prevention
Rat control
Imaginary pests
Niches of food pests
A: The Waste Niche
B: The seed niche
C: The dead plant niche
D: The sugary excrement niche
E: The carrion niche
Prevention and Control, Integrated Control
A. Inspection of the company and its environment
The environment
The premises
Examination of raw materials and food on site
Sampling
Laboratory methods for detection of pests in food
B. Statement of the problem
C. Prevention and control
1. Proper organisation of the company
2. Proper operation
3. Exclusion, proofing buildings
4. Packaging
5. Non-chemical control measures
6. Chemical control
Resistance
D: Effective monitoring and communication
Appendix
Literature
Extermination with poison
International trade
Colouration of small, pale animals
Index

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